NIA Funding Line Policy for FY 2009

NIA continues to welcome the strong investigator interest in aging research as evidenced by the large number of research project grant (RPG) applications submitted to NIH and assigned to NIA for award in FY 2009. The Institute is committed to funding the most meritorious of these applications. Nevertheless, the above policy necessitates that NIA continue to reduce budgets for all competing RPG awards by an average of 18% below levels recommended in peer review in FY 2009. With this average reduction NIA is currently funding research project grant mechanisms to about the 11.6 percentile funding line. R01 applications from new investigators (by the NIH definition of new investigators) will be funded to about the 16.6 percentile funding line. R01 applications from early stage investigators (by the NIH definition of early stage investigators) are currently funded to about the 23.1 percentile funding line. NIA expects to achieve a success rate of approximately 20.0 percent for research project grants in FY 2009.

NIA is following NIH cost control policies in other research and training mechanisms.

Also see the main NIA Funding Policies site for policies concerning particular mechanisms: http://www.nia.nih.gov/GrantsAndTraining/Policies/NIAspecific.htm#NIA_Cost_Control

NIA has also received significant American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds in FY 2009. These two-year funds are intended to jumpstart the economy by providing new jobs while leading the way to important new research findings that help promote health and longevity. NIA is using these funds to provide two years of support to outstanding research applications that we would otherwise be unable to pay with general appropriations. NIA is also participating in a number of ARRA-related funding opportunities offered by NIH. These opportunities are described on the NIA's Recovery Act page.