NEI FY2008 FISCAL OPERATIONS PLAN
OCTOBER 1, 2007 - JANUARY 29, 2008
From October 1, 2007, until January 29, 2008, the National Eye Institute (NEI) operated under a series of Continuing Resolutions. During this period, the Office of the Director (OD) National Institutes of Health (NIH) developed the following interim budget guidance for all Institutes and Centers (ICs):
Research Project Grants (RPG) -
This category of awards includes the R01, R15, and R21 grant mechanisms. ICs were advised to be cautious in making competitive awards. Continuing awards were to be issued at a provisional amount up to 80% of the level recommended for FY2008 on the previous Notice of Grant Award (see http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-08-001.html )
Other Grant Mechanisms--
This category of awards includes the F31, F32, F33, K08, K12, K22, K23, K24, K99, P30, R24, R41, R42, R43, R44, T32, T35, and U10 mechanisms. ICs were advised to be cautious in issuing competing awards. Continuing awards were to be issued at the FY2008 committed level recommended on the Notice of Grant Award.
JANUARY 30, 2008 - SEPTEMBER 30, 2008
The NIH Fiscal Operations Plan for FY2008 provides general guidance at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-08-036.html. Specific NEI implementation procedures follow:
Research Project Grants
Non-competing Awards:
NIH guidance specifies a 1%, rather than a 3%, inflationary increase in these awards. The NEI will reduce all grants, both modular and non-modular, to meet this target. Thus, awards will be made at 98% of the FY2008 committed level. Non-competing awards previously issued at the 80% level will be reissued to restore funds to levels consistent with this final plan.
Competing Awards:
NIH guidance calls for the NEI to restrict the total cost of competing awards on average to an increase of 1% over the FY2007 level, rising to $367,000 in FY2008. NEI estimates that the success rate (number of grants funded divided by the number of grant applications reviewed) will be approximately 26%, similar to that achieved in FY2007. Some additional NIH guidelines will apply to competing research project grants. These include:
- Maintain the number of new investigators comparable to the average of the most recent five years;
- Continue to use the NIH Director's Innovator Awards (DP2) within the Common Fund (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-RM-08-014.html) and the NIH Pathway to Independence Awards (K99/R00) (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-07-297.html),
- Continue to use the NIH Directors Bridge Award Program (R56) (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-07-056.html )to provide continued but limited one-year bridge funding to investigators whose meritorious applications are close to the funding range and who have minimal other support.
Other Grant Mechanisms
NIH guidance gives the NEI flexibility to manage these activities according to its specific scientific and programmatic imperatives, within the parameters of the appropriated funds. The numbers of Small Business, Center Core, Career Development, and individual training awards will remain relatively constant compared with the FY2007 levels. The number of Institutional Training awards will fall slightly.
SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION (P.L. 110-252): JUNE 30, 2008 - SEPTEMBER 30, 2008
The NEI received an additional $3.548M which will be used to increase funding for Center Core Grants and for R01 Research Project Grants.
