A new report, Breaking Through, released by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine last week seeks to address the future of biomedical research with a list of improvement recommendations for essentially all levels of involvement.
Congress, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and private research institutions have a hand in expanding the research opportunities and community, according to the report, which has since been lauded by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). The report turned to Congress with calls for the creation of a public-private Biomedical Research Enterprise Council to give researchers a forum for progress and coordination and shift responsibility from NIH in the process. At the same time, however, it called for an increased NIH budget and that Congress work more closely with NIH to promote pilot projects that would promote careers in the field.
The report also calls on the NIH, specifically, to expand existing awards or create new competitions through which postdoctoral researchers might advance their research and aid their professional development. R01 research grants, in their estimation, should be for no less than five years so as to guarantee resilient independent research programs. Yet they did call for a three-year cap on salary support for all postdoctoral researchers funded by NIH research project grants. That recommendation, they hope, would be paired with a pilot study of sufficient size and duration to assess the policy’s actual feasibility.
Breaking Through additionally called on research institutions to collect, analyze, and spread data on outcomes, demographics, and career aspirations of biomedical and behavioral science researchers, both pre- and postdoctoral alike. They seek to require the collection and publication of that data for institutions to qualify for NIH funding. They also desire a new means by which career guidance counseling could be engaged for postdoctoral researchers, who should see an increased promotion of diversity and inclusivity. They want more staff scientist positions and evidence provided to the NIH of formal training of faculty mentors of postdoctoral trainees.