NIH Supports Research Careers by Repaying
Student Loan Debt
Programs Help Increase the Pipeline of Scientists Addressing
the Diseases and Disorders Affecting the Nation
NIH is now accepting applications for its extramural Loan Repayment
Programs (LRPs), and is letting applicants know through it awareness-raising
campaign slogan that "You do the research. NIH will repay your
student loans."
The LRPs repay up to $35,000 of educational loan debt annually
for individuals who commit to conducting at least two years of
qualified biomedical or behavioral research at a nonprofit institution
of their choice. The annual application cycle started Sept. 1 and
will continue until Dec. 1, 2008, for the five extramural LRPs:
Clinical Research, Pediatric Research, Health Disparities Research,
Contraception and Infertility Research, and Clinical Research for
Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds.
"The purpose of these programs is to recruit and retain highly-qualified
health professionals as scientific investigators," explained Norka
Ruiz Bravo, Ph.D., NIH deputy director for extramural research. "Expanding
the pool of researchers is critical to the health of our nation,
and the LRPs play an important role in researcher retention." Participants
receive loan repayment benefits and tax offsets, which serve as
one means of helping them remain in the scientific workforce.
Each year, some 1,600 research scientists benefit from the more
than $70 million NIH invests in their careers through the extramural
LRPs. On average, approximately 40 percent of all new LRP applications
are funded.
Applicants often learn about the LRPs from colleagues, faculty,
and mentors, and many applicants report that having a mentor was
an important factor in developing a successful application. To
qualify for the LRPs, applicants must possess a doctoral-level
degree (except for the Contraception and Infertility Research LRP);
devote at least 20 hours per week to research funded by a domestic
nonprofit organization or federal, state, or local government entity;
have educational loan debt equal to or exceeding 20 percent of
their institutional base salary; and be a U.S. citizen, national,
or permanent resident.
Visit www.lrp.nih.gov for
more details and to apply.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's
Medical Research Agency — includes 27 Institutes and
Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting
and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research,
and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both
common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and
its programs, visit www.nih.gov. |