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American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Stimulus Package)
March 10, 2009
Letter from Dr. Stephen I. Katz regarding the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)
Dear Colleagues:
I want to provide information about the tremendous opportunity the NIH has as the recipient of $10.4 billion in stimulus funds as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), signed into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009. This opportunity reflects the Obama Administration's, the U.S. Congress', and, indeed, the nation's, interest in medical research, and demonstrates the important role of medical research funding in the country's economy. The NIH's research funding at universities and research centers across the U.S. supports jobs at these institutions, as well as at the companies, large and small, with products used in medical research. Both of these sectors-academic and commercial-generate patents, technologies, and start-up companies that contribute to new knowledge, discoveries, and better healthcare.
The Challenge Grant announcement, released on March 4, 2009, is the first of the NIH ARRA funding opportunities that will be forthcoming in the next few weeks. It supports two-year RC1 grants to address specific health and science challenges. It invites proposals under a broad umbrella on many topics germane to the NIAMS' mission areas. Many Challenge Grant awards, across the breadth of NIH interest (including those specific to the NIAMS), will be supported by the NIH Office of the Director, while others, applicable to the NIAMS mission, will be supported by ARRA funds specifically designated to the NIAMS.
The NIAMS plans to distribute its allocation by:
- Participating in additional trans-NIH initiatives. It is expected that these opportunities will be broad enough for widespread participation; hence, the NIAMS is not intending to create its own RFAs.
- Extending the R03/R21 payline, for projects that are appropriate for ARRA funding.
- Identifying outstanding R01 applications reviewed in FY2009 (and beyond the NIAMS payline) that could benefit from two-year funding, and give applicants the option of accepting a two-year award.
- Supplementing currently funded awards to allow rapid progress in ongoing or expanded research goals.
These ARRA funds must be obligated in two years, by September 2010, in keeping with the President's objectives of stimulating the national economy. The NIH intends to distribute the bulk of its allocation before the end of FY2009, to seed important projects quickly and to facilitate and accelerate research progress in the designated time period.
The NIAMS will not offer new investigators and early stage investigators (ESIs) two-year R01 awards, because they would lose "new investigator" status. Their applications will be funded for the requested project period (four or five years), or they will be invited to resubmit unfunded applications. Experienced investigators should consider whether to accept two-year ARRA-supported R01s, because they would not be able to submit another application for the designated project during its two-year award period. They will, of course, need to adjust the aims of the 2-year R01's.
It is important to note that ARRA funds are distinct from the NIH's annual appropriation, and will be managed separately. The NIH is responsible for an unprecedented level of accountability and transparency in its use of ARRA funds, and will apply a higher level of scrutiny and reporting requirements for these funds, in order to demonstrate the impact of ARRA support. Further information on reporting requirements will be available soon. It is imperative that investigators supported through these funds adhere carefully to the reporting requirements that go along with accepting the funds.
More NIH ARRA funding opportunities are being prepared, and they will vary in scope. We will be sending you additional announcements of this type as these RFAs and Notices to the Guide become available. Collectively, these initiatives will provide a broad range of opportunities for investigators across the spectrum of arthritis, musculoskeletal, and skin diseases research.
The NIAMS staff is excited about the scientific opportunities that are being offered through the ARRA funds, and is working hard and will continue to work hard to ensure that our communities take full advantage of these funds.
We are very grateful to President Obama and the U.S. Congress for this unprecedented opportunity. We welcome your questions and comments, and, most importantly, your participation!
More information is available at the following websites:
http://www.recovery.gov/
http://www.niams.nih.gov/
Stephen I. Katz, M.D., Ph.D.
Director
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
National Institutes of Health
Department of Health and Human Services
