2012 NINDS Funding Outcomes

Each fiscal year, NINDS establishes a payline for all percentiled R01s and R21s (FY12 payline: 15^th %tile) and funds all applications that score within that payline with very rare exception.  Figure 1 includes data from all categories of investigators: experienced investigators who have had NIH grants in the past, new investigators who previously have not had a substantial independent NIH award, and early stage investigators who are within 10 years of completing their Ph.D. or residency training and have not had a previous grant. Figure 2 shows data on new applications and Figure 3 on renewal applications. Success rates for renewal applications are significantly higher than those for new applications (Table 1).

NINDS supports a limited number of applications with scores outside the payline.  When resources are available, NINDS supports a limited number of applications from experienced investigators with scores outside the payline that are considered to be of High Program Priority (Figure 4). Additionally, helping new investigators transition to independence is a high priority for NIH, and an important funding consideration for NINDS.  Each Council round, NINDS funds additional R01 applications from new (Figure 5) and early stage investigators (Figure 6) with percentiles beyond the formal payline, based on funds available. The goal is to support new investigator R01s at success rates equivalent to that of established investigators submitting new R01 applications.  When new applications receive an unfundable score, PI’s want to know whether it is worthwhile to submit an A1 (resubmission) application.  The answer depends on whether the most important weaknesses identified by the reviewers can be addressed in a timely manner AND on whether the reviewers identified substantial strengths that would warrant high enthusiasm for an application in which the weaknesses had been addressed satisfactorily.   More detailed guidance about “next steps” after an application has been reviewed can be found at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/next_steps.htm   The data in Table 2 show the success rates for A1 R01 applications that were submitted by PI’s whose unfunded A0 applications had received scores ranging from better than 14 to not discussed.

 

Figure 1.  All investigators: experienced, new and early stage.  Cumulative data for all competing R01 applications (red bars) and awarded grants (blue bars) for all categories of investigators in fiscal year 2012.  Dashed line indicates the payline (15^th percentile) for FY12.

Figure 2: All new (Type 1) R01 applications. 

Figure 3: All renewal (Type 2) R01 applications

Figure 4: Experienced investigators, who have had previous NIH grants. 

Figure 5: New Investigators, who have NOT had previous R01 equivalent awards from NIH.

Figure 6: Early stage investigators, who are the subset of new Investigators who are within 10 years of completing their research training.

Figure 7. Number of R01 equivalent grants (R01, R23, R29, R37, and DP2 activity codes) funded by NINDS in fiscal years 1997-2011.

Table 1.  R01 Success Rates for new and renewal applications.  Source: NIH Report

Table 2.  R01 A1 Success Rates based on A0 score and career stage.  These data are based on A1s submitted in FYs 10, 11, and 12 and on A0 applications submitted (and not awarded) in FY10.  These data exclude ARRA applications, non-percentiled applications, and applications that were bridged.

2011 NINDS Funding Outcomes