Historically, a large proportion of the financial support for colleges and schools of veterinary medicine in the United States has come from state governments, tuition, fees, and revenue generated by providing veterinary clinical and diagnostic services. Those colleges and schools of veterinary medicine located at land-grant universities are also eligible to receive supplemental funding through certain federal agencies (largely allocated through the USDA) and may receive some funding through local county taxes.
In recent decades, federal and state funding of colleges and schools of veterinary medicine has typically not kept pace with inflation, making it difficult for many colleges and schools to maintain or expand their roles in teaching, service, and research. In response, some colleges and schools of veterinary medicine have increased the size of their veterinary student classes or raised tuition in an attempt to cover the costs of veterinary student education. These methods, however, have obvious limitations and contribute to veterinary student debt at graduation, which could reduce future recruitment of new students into the profession.
Traditionally, a substantial amount, if not most, of the extramural funding for research performed at the various colleges and schools of veterinary medicine was obtained through the USDA. In recent years, however, annual appropriations for the USDA have been relatively static, and a greater proportion of the USDA budget has been allocated to the support of nonresearch–oriented objectives. These factors, in combination with restrictions on individual USDA research programs, have affected the USDA's ability to adequately support live-stock, poultry, equine, and aquaculture research at the nation's colleges and schools of veterinary medicine. Importantly, the number of competitive USDA research grants funded through the few research programs that are the most relevant to colleges and schools of veterinary medicine is low, frequently ranging from 0.35 to 1.2 awards/state/y.
In the wake of escalating financial pressures on the colleges and schools of veterinary medicine, there has been an increasing need to identify additional sources of external funding, particularly extramural funding for research activities that have the added benefit of providing substantial indirect support for operational costs. Federal agencies that are possible alternatives to the USDA and that have substantial budgets for the support of extramural investigative research include the NIH, National Science Foundation, US Food and Drug Administration, CDC, US Department of Homeland Security, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, US Department of Defense, US Army Medical Research and Material Command, and US Environmental Protection Agency. In general, the National Science Foundation supports nonapplied and non–medically oriented research programs, which may explain why most investigators at colleges and schools of veterinary medicine submit few grant applications to this federal agency. In fiscal year 2002–2003, for instance, only 48 competitive research investigations totaling $3.5 million were funded by the National Science Foundation, with only 16 of 28 colleges and schools of veterinary medicine receiving grants and with 1 college of veterinary medicine receiving 14 of the 48 grants.1,2 Although researchers at colleges and schools of veterinary medicine with advanced research training in microbiology, toxicology, and other specialties could potentially develop research programs relevant to the CDC, US Department of Homeland Security, US Department of Defense, US Army Medical Research and Material Command, and US Environmental Protection Agency, participation in these arenas to date has been limited. Similarly, although opportunities exist for acquiring funding through the FDA, the Center for Veterinary Medicine funds only a small number of extramural grants and cooperative agreements, and support for these programs has been declining over the past decade.1,2
For all of these reasons, more and more of the colleges and schools of veterinary medicine are looking to the NIH as a viable source of extramural research funding, both because of the large amount of money awarded by the NIH for research, which allows them to sustain research programs over prolonged periods, and because they routinely support medically oriented research that closely parallels the clinical research objectives of the veterinary profession. Thus, adopting policies and practices that selectively or preferentially encourage the development of research programs that can attract funding from the NIH is a potential solution to some of the fiscal demands faced by the colleges and schools of veterinary medicine. Before such policies and practices are implemented, however, it is critical that knowledge about individual funding mechanisms and historical trends in grant awards be gained. Most research funding awarded by the NIH is allocated through competitive grant programs, and multiple factors related to the research field, characteristics of the investigators submitting grant proposals, and characteristics of the academic institutions and departments where those investigators are located have an effect on which grant proposals are funded during any given year. A full appreciation of these factors is vital to the design of effective and realistic strategic plans that can be used to guide individual colleges and schools of veterinary medicine looking to expand their research programs. Additionally, this information could assist in familiarizing central administrative offices on university campuses with the obstacles and barriers colleges and schools of veterinary medicine in the United States face in acquiring extramural research funding. Lastly, objective information about variables associated with NIH research award success rates can be used as a point of reference during assessment of research faculty members as they navigate the promotion and tenure process.
NIH Annual Budget
The NIH allocate a large percentage of their annual budgets to the support of investigative research, with approximately 80% of the total budget for any given fiscal year being dedicated to the support of research grants, research and development, and research training programs3,4 (Table 1). In fiscal year 2007, for instance, 87% of the entire NIH annual budget was devoted to funding research projects (52% of the entire annual budget), intramural research (9.6%), research and development contracts (9.7%), research centers (9.9%), and other types of research activity (6.0%).4–7
Distribution of research funds by the NIH from 1994 through 2005.
| Fiscal year | Research grants | Research and development grants | Research training grants | Fellowship grants | Construction grants | Other grants | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Value | No. | Value | No. | Value | No. | Value | No. | Value | No. | Value | ||
| 1994 | 30,373 | $7,648 | 1,392 | $1,002 | 1,855 | $317 | 2,565 | $64 | 26 | $27 | 38 | $12 | |
| 1995 | 29,957 | $7,928 | 1,341 | $1,017 | 1,869 | $324 | 2,687 | $68 | 18 | $20 | 93 | $15 | |
| 1996 | 30,554 | $8,393 | 1,293 | $994 | 1,886 | $335 | 2,736 | $69 | 32 | $25 | 103 | $18 | |
| 1997 | 32,109 | $9,047 | 1,167 | $940 | 1,902 | $351 | 2,744 | $72 | 35 | $27 | 112 | $21 | |
| 1998 | 33,703 | $9,802 | 1,169 | $895 | 1,965 | $359 | 2,650 | $71 | 35 | $28 | 121 | $25 | |
| 1999 | 35,870 | $11,229 | 1,185 | $1,045 | 2,022 | $426 | 2,699 | $87 | 52 | $38 | 148 | $31 | |
| 2000 | 38,302 | $13,003 | 1,133 | $1,113 | 2,024 | $458 | 2,685 | $88 | 64 | $84 | 184 | $35 | |
| 2001 | 40,666 | $14,908 | 996 | $1,150 | 2,070 | $498 | 2,782 | $95 | 63 | $89 | 268 | $45 | |
| 2002 | 43,520 | $16,830 | 1,035 | $1,417 | 2,100 | $556 | 2,731 | $101 | 75 | $123 | 255 | $48 | |
| 2003 | 46,081 | $18,461 | 1,248 | $2,120 | 2,160 | $613 | 2,763 | $108 | 80 | $517 | 255 | $47 | |
| 2004 | 47,464 | $19,608 | 1,232 | $2,361 | 2,192 | $636 | 2,814 | $112 | 63 | $134 | 256 | $49 | |
| 2005 | 47,345 | $20,206 | 1,818 | $2,196 | 2,197 | $644 | 2,927 | $120 | 42 | $195 | 235 | $48 | |
All values are given in millions of dollars.
Even though the percentage of the total NIH budget devoted to research has not changed much over the past 15 years, total federal appropriations budgeted to the NIH have increased dramatically4 (Figure 1), resulting in a substantial increase in the amount of funding the NIH provide to support medical research. As an example, the amount of money the NIH allocated for research grants, research and development contracts, research training fellowships, and construction collectively increased from $9.07 billion in 1994 to $23.41 billion in 2005, with allocations for research grants alone increasing from $7.65 billion to $20.21 billion.3 Federal expenditures allotted to the NIH to support research investigations increased from $11.99 to $27.62 billion between 1997 and 2007, which represented 94% and 96% of the total federal government support of all health-related research.3,4 Over this same period, many universities experienced large increases in the amount of research funding they received in the form of NIH awards and contracts. For example, as a group, the 10 universities that received the most NIH funding in 2004 had increases of approximately 125% ($2.27 billion) in total annual funding and approximately 136% ($2.08 billion) in total annual research grant awards and contracts from 1996 to 2004.8–10 In 2005, the top 10 universities with the greatest amounts of NIH support collectively received $4.27 billion and $3.87 billion in total NIH funding and NIH research grant awards.11
Annual budget of the NIH.
Citation: American Journal of Veterinary Research 69, 12; 10.2460/ajvr.69.12.1676
Despite the increases in the total NIH budget and the amount of funding the NIH has devoted to research grant awards, colleges and schools of veterinary medicine traditionally have received relatively small amounts of NIH research funding (Table 2). For example, the 10 schools of human medicine with the most NIH funding in 2004 collectively received $3.32 billion in research funding and $3.02 billion in research grant awards that year.12 By comparison, the 10 colleges or schools of veterinary medicine with the most NIH funding in 2004 received $119 million in research funding and $107 million in research grant awards.13 Overall, colleges and schools of veterinary medicine collectively received 11.5% less total support and 1.3% less in research grant funding from the NIH during 2004 than they received during 2003 despite a 6.2% increase in federal funding for the NIH in 2004, compared with 2003.13–17
Research grants awarded by the NIH to colleges and schools of veterinary medicine during 2003, 2004, and 2007
| Fiscal year | All proposals funded | Research proposals funded | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Value | No. | Value | |
| 2003 | 594 | $190 | 503 | $155 |
| Top half | 480 | $162 | 401 | $128 |
| Bottom half | 114 | $28 | 102 | $27 |
| 2004 | 590 | $167 | 511 | $153 |
| Top half | 467 | $134 | 404 | $121 |
| Bottom half | 123 | $33 | 107 | $32 |
| 2007 | 527 | $172 | 460 | $162 |
| Top half | 413 | $144 | 539 | $136 |
| Bottom half | 114 | $28 | 101 | $26 |
All values are given in millions of dollars. Top half refers to the 13 colleges and schools with the highest amount of funding (10/13 were located on the same campus as a school of human medicine); bottom half refers to the 14 colleges and schools with the lowest amount of funding (2/14 were located on the same campus as a school of human medicine).
Factors Potentially Associated With NIH Funding Received by Colleges and Schools of Veterinary Medicine
The discrepancy between schools of human medicine with the most NIH funding and colleges and schools of veterinary medicine with the most NIH funding likely reflects, at least in part, differences in research mission, numbers of faculty members devoted to research, and total numbers of research proposals submitted to the NIH for review. Unfortunately, the NIH does not compile data that can be used to document why a larger percentage of proposals submitted by investigators at colleges and schools of veterinary medicine are not approved for funding. Some of the more obvious reasons might include poor experimental design, insufficient preliminary laboratory results, an overly ambitious research protocol, insufficient time scheduled to complete proposed research investigations, unrealistic budget estimates, inadequate collaborative arrangements with NIH-experienced researchers, or a perceived low probability for a successful outcome. However, other factors may consciously or unconsciously influence the success rate of research proposals submitted by investigators at colleges and schools of veterinary medicine, and understanding these factors may help colleges and schools of veterinary medicine increase the amount of NIH research funding they receive.
Presence of a school of human medicine on the same university campus—A relatively common characteristic of those colleges and schools of veterinary medicine that receive the greatest amounts of research funding from the NIH is the presence of a school of human medicine on the same university campus.13,15,16,18–20 The 50% of colleges and schools of veterinary medicine with the most NIH research funding in 2003, 2004, and 2007 received 4.74, 3.90, and 5.2 times as much funding as did the colleges and schools of veterinary medicine in the bottom 50% in terms of NIH research awards (Table 2),13,15,16,18–20 and between 2004 and 2007, the bottom third of colleges and schools of veterinary medicine in terms of NIH research funding collectively experienced a 40% reduction in total NIH grant awards. Of the top 50% of colleges and schools of veterinary medicine that annually receive the most NIH research awards, 10 of 13 were located at university campuses that also had a school of human medicine, whereas only 2 of 14 colleges and schools of veterinary medicine in the bottom 50% in terms of NIH research funding were located at universities with a school of human medicine on the same campus.
Investigator degree—A relatively larger percentage of NIH research grants funded in any given year are awarded to investigators with a PhD degree, compared with investigators with an MD degree, MD and PhD degrees, DDS degree, DVM degree, or DVM and PhD degrees15,21–33 (Table 3). During 2006, for instance, the NIH funded a total of 46,797 grant applications, and for 29,941 (64%), 9,938 (21%), and 5,667 (12%) of these grant applications, respectively, the principal investigator had a PhD degree only, an MD degree only, and both MD and PhD degrees (principal investigators for the remaining funded grant applications had other degree combinations).15,21,33 Since at least 1980, success rates for principal investigators with what the NIH refers to as other degrees (eg, DVM and DDS) have historically always been lower than the success rates for investigators with PhD and MD degrees.34 In 2006, the overall success rate for research proposals submitted through the R01 research project grant program was 20%, with success rates of 18.5%, 21.9%, and 19.9%, respectively, for grant proposals submitted by principal investigators who had MD and PhD degrees, an MD degree, or a PhD degree.34 In contrast, the success rate during 2006 was only 14.9% for grant proposals submitted by principal investigators with some other degree type or degree combination.34 Importantly, few principal investigators with a DVM degree have received NIH R01 research awards. In 2001 and 2003, for example, only 0.17% and 0.18%, respectively, of all grants awarded to individual investigators through the NIH R01 funding mechanism had a DVM degree.15,21,33
Distribution of NIH research grants as a function of investigator degree.
| Fiscal year | Degree | Total No. of awards | No. of R01 awards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | PhD | 25,612 | 17,928 |
| MD | 9,765 | 5,174 | |
| MD and PhD | 4,125 | 2,747 | |
| DDS | 301 | 170 | |
| DVM | 90 | 31 | |
| 2003 | PhD | 20,633 | 13,648 |
| MD | 8,077 | 3,809 | |
| MD and PhD | 3,163 | 1,922 | |
| DDS | 265 | 140 | |
| DVM | 78 | 25 |
Traditionally, the NIH have not consistently reported whether investigators with a DVM degree or DVM and PhD degrees who received grants were located at colleges and schools of veterinary medicine or were instead located at schools of human medicine, primate research facilities, private research institutes, or other organizations involved in medical research activities. However, data for 2006 reveal that a relatively large number of investigators with a DVM degree and those with both a DVM and PhD degree who received NIH grant awards were not located at colleges or schools of veterinary medicine (Table 4).15 It is unclear whether this difference was related to greater availability of advanced laboratory facilities at institutions other than colleges and schools of veterinary medicine, more effective collaborative interactions with other NIH-funded researchers, or simply the submission of a greater number of grant applications by this group of DVM investigators.
Distribution of NIH research grants during 2006 to investigators at colleges and schools of veterinary medicine versus investigators at all institutions combined as a function of investigator degree.
| Degree | Colleges and schools of veterinary medicine | All institutions combined | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of investigators | No. of awards | Value of awards | No. of investigators | No. of awards | Value of awards | |
| DVM only | 18 | 19 | $3.60 | 59 | 66 | $26.70 |
| DVM and MD | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | $0.99 |
| DVM and PhD | 110 | 134 | $38.03 | 282 | 393 | $142.99 |
| MD only | 1 | 1 | $0.31 | 7,043 | 9,938 | $5,207.85 |
| MDand PhD | 12 | 15 | $3.47 | 3,731 | 5,667 | $2,717.25 |
| Other | 1 | 1 | $0.22 | 717 | 791 | $420.15 |
| PhD only | 217 | 299 | $123.76 | 21,669 | 29,941 | $11,638.43 |
| Total | 359 | 469 | $169.40 | 33,503 | 46,797 | $20,154.36 |
| DVM (%) | 35.7 | 32.6 | 24 | 1 | 0.86 | 0.81 |
All values are given in millions of dollars. Total amounts include funds awarded to investigators with PhD, MD, DVM, and other degrees.
Investigator age—Since 1970, the mean age of principal investigators submitting NIH research proposals for review has progressively increased (Figures 2 and 3).21,22,27,28,35–45 In 1980, investigators who were between 36 and 40 years old submitted more grant applications than did investigators in any other age group (25.4% of the 15,997 grant applications submitted during that year), whereas in 2003, it was investigators between 46 and 50 years old who submitted more grant applications than investigators in any other age group (20.1% of the 29,316 grant applications submitted).21,41,42 More importantly, in 1980, investigators who were between 36 and 40 years old submitted the most major NIH research grant applications (ie, applications to the R01, R23, R29, and R37 research project grant programs), whereas in 2001, investigators who were between 46 and 50 years old submitted the most major NIH research grant applications.
Mean age of all principal investigators (solid line) receiving a major NIH research grant (ie, grants funded through the R01, R23, R29, and R37 research project grant programs) and of principal investigators who had not previously received a major NIH research grant (dashed line).
Citation: American Journal of Veterinary Research 69, 12; 10.2460/ajvr.69.12.1676
Mean age of principal investigators receiving their first major NIH research grant as a function of principal investigator degree.
Citation: American Journal of Veterinary Research 69, 12; 10.2460/ajvr.69.12.1676
In conjunction with this, the mean age of new principal investigators (ie, researchers who have not previously been awarded a major grant) at the time they receive their first major NIH research grant has also steadily increased.36–40,44–46 In 2007, the mean age for all investigators receiving a research grant through the NIH R01 funding mechanism was 51 years, whereas the mean age for new principal investigators receiving their first major NIH grant was 42.6 years.47,48 Importantly, the mean age for new principal investigators with a PhD degree at the time they receive their first major NIH grant has consistently been lower than the mean age for new principal investigators with other degrees (Figure 3).38,46,49,50 In 1975, mean ages of new principal investigators with PhD and MD degrees at the time they received their first major NIH research grant were 34.3 and 36.7 years, respectively, whereas in 2005, mean ages were 47.0 and 48.5 years, respectively.36–40,46,49,50
As candidates for faculty positions have been expected, if not required, to complete not only a PhD graduate program but also postdoctoral research training, the age of individuals hired as assistant professors has progressively increased, leading to an escalation in age of investigators at the time they obtain their first major NIH grant award. In addition, as the fields of investigative research relevant to the missions of the NIH involve greater application of increasingly more sophisticated laboratory techniques and instrumentation, the duration of PhD and postdoctoral training programs will be expected to continually expand, further contributing to the problem. The tendency for the NIH to predominantly fund investigations in well-established laboratories with mature research programs has also contributed to the increase in age of investigators at the time they receive their first major NIH grant award.
The national increase in the mean age for investigators at the time of their first major NIH research award has several potential implications. One consequence is that individuals conducting research will likely need to acquire alternative sources of funding to sustain their independent research programs over longer time intervals before they are successful in receiving their first major NIH award. Sustaining research programs relevant to the research missions of the NIH for extended periods may become considerably more difficult at colleges and schools of veterinary medicine, especially at those located on campuses without a school of human medicine. This will also be particularly true if many of the available intramural funding and support mechanisms at the college or school of veterinary medicine are preferentially allocated to addressing commitments and responsibilities associated with the research missions of a land-grant university system and the veterinary profession. Another disadvantage associated with initial hiring of research faculty at an older age is that these investigators will be submitting dossiers for promotion and tenure at an older age and may have to remain in the work force until they reach an older age before they can retire.
Because complete documentation is not available, it is uncertain how many investigators at schools of human medicine or at colleges and schools of veterinary medicine preferentially seek funding from non-NIH sources. Similarly, it is also not known what percentage of investigators at colleges and schools of veterinary medicine initially pursue funding from the NIH early in their careers but cease doing so prior to receipt of a major NIH research grant. Common reasons why veterinary investigators may limit their submission of NIH grant proposals include the considerable time commitment required to complete NIH grant applications, changes in the direction of their research program to investigate fields of interest not relevant to NIH research missions, recognition of the low NIH funding rates for veterinary researchers, identification of alternative sources of extramural funding that are in closer alignment with the mission of the land-grant university system and the veterinary profession, insufficient research faculty time, insufficient allocation of resources necessary for the growth of an independent human-oriented research program, and a lack of success in the tenure and promotion process.
Grant submission and success rates—Since 1980, the total number of research proposals received by the NIH has consistently increased while overall award success rates have progressively declined despite increases in the annual NIH budget.51–53 The number of research proposals submitted to the NIH increased from 28,000 in 1999 to 49,700 in 2007, and during that same time period, success rates (ie, the percentage of total grant proposals funded by the NIH) decreased progressively from 32% in 1999 to 17% in 2007.52 The total number of awards to new principal investigators receiving their first major NIH grant increased from 1,992 in 1962 to 2,736 in 2004, but the increase was not equal to increases in total funding during the same time period.54 Furthermore, during any given year, success rates for principal investigators who had not previously received a major NIH grant were invariably lower than success rates for investigators who had previously received a major NIH grant.36,51,53 For example, during 1980, the success rate for major NIH research grant proposals was 22.3% (1,903 awards) for principal investigators who had not previously received a major NIH grant and 43.8% (3,240 awards) for principal investigators who had previously received a major NIH grant. Corresponding success rates during 2006 were 14.7% (1,384 awards) and 23.6% (4,677 awards).51,53 Success rates also varied markedly among departments within schools of human medicine, with departments devoted to veterinary science (eg, laboratory animal medicine or comparative animal medicine departments) having lower success rates than other departments.55
Award mechanisms—Most of the NIH budget during any year is allocated to the support of investigative research through the R01 research project grant program, which is designed to support laboratories directed by individual principal investigators, rather than large research centers.56–60 Between 1962 and 2005, the percentage of R01 grant submissions that were from principal investigators who had not previously received a major NIH award decreased from approximately 36% to 22%, whereas the percentage that were from established investigators who had previously received a major NIH award increased from approximately 64% to 78%. In 1980, principal investigators who had not previously received a major NIH award submitted 8,515 major NIH grant proposals for review, whereas investigators who had previously received a major NIH award submitted 7,404 proposals. In contrast, in 2006, there were 9,399 grant proposals submitted by principal investigators who had not previously received a major NIH award and 19,822 grant proposals submitted by investigators who had previously received a major NIH award.51
Success rates for individual NIH funding mechanisms often vary from each other and from year to year. In 2006, for example, success rates for the R01, R15, R21, R33, R36, and R56 award mechanisms were 16.9% (3,610 awards), 23.9% (157 awards), 15.4% (1,522 awards), 10.8% (17 awards), 33.3% (9 awards), and 100% (54 awards), respectively.61–63 Traditionally, investigators who are successful in receiving major NIH awards have already established an accomplished research program over the course of many years. As a consequence, during any given year, new principal investigators typically represent approximately 6% of all research investigators who receive major NIH awards.64–70
In 2006, the success rate for major NIH grant proposals submitted to the NIH by principal investigators who had not previously received a major NIH award was 14.7%, compared with a success rate of 23.6% for grant applications submitted by previously funded investigators.51 By comparison, corresponding success rates in 1980 were 22.3% and 43.4%, respectively.52,53 Among principal investigators who have not previously received a major NIH award, success rates are typically higher for those who have participated in mentored NIH research investigations or who previously received an award through the R03 or R29 program.71
Taken together, these findings indicate that it is becoming increasingly more difficult for investigators who have not previously received a grant to acquire NIH research funding through existing funding mechanisms. This suggests that researchers at colleges and schools of veterinary medicine who have not previously received NIH research funding may find it increasingly more difficult to compete with research faculty at schools of human medicine who already have established research programs with a long record of success in receiving NIH grant awards.
The AREA funding mechanism—Of particular interest to some colleges and schools of veterinary medicine is the AREA funding mechanism, which was developed to support small-scale research investigations by faculty located primarily at academic institutions that have not been major recipients of NIH research funding. To qualify, investigators must be located at a university campus on the current NIH list for AREA eligibility, and not all colleges and schools of veterinary medicine are eligible. In addition, only a low number of research proposals and limited amounts of funding are awarded through this funding mechanism.21,68,72–77 In 2006 and 2007, grants worth $37.9 and $45.2 million were funded through the AREA funding mechanism.73–75
The number of proposals and amount of research funding awarded to AREA applicants vary widely from one institute within the NIH to the next.73 Of note, even though the National Cancer Institute has one of the largest research budgets within the NIH, it has historically allocated support for only a small number of grants through the AREA funding mechanism, approving only 13 and 19 research proposals in 2006 and 2007 with corresponding success rates of 18.6% and 22.1%.73 In addition, increases in federal allocations for the NIH have not translated into proportional increases in the amount of research funding dispersed through the AREA funding mechanism by each of the individual NIH institutes.
One surprising feature of the AREA funding mechanism that should be of particular concern to colleges and schools of veterinary medicine is the relatively small percentage of new investigators who receive funding through this mechanism,72,76,77 which may reflect the limited number of research awards available.
Research institutes—Number of proposals funded and grant award success rates vary among the individual research institutes that make up the NIH.78 In 2006, the National Center for Research Resources, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Cancer Institute, National Human Genome Research Institute, and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease funded 29, 80, 1,280, 76, and 1,049 research proposals, respectively, with corresponding success rates of 13.3%, 13.5%, 19.4%, 33.5%, and 20.6%.78
Knowledge of differences in funding success rate among the various NIH institutes is potentially important for colleges and schools of veterinary medicine because research missions for certain NIH institutes are more closely aligned with research interests and capabilities of veterinary researchers. As an example, the research mission of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease aligns quite well with the research missions of most colleges and schools of veterinary medicine, and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease has had a dramatic increase in funding in recent years, compared with several other institutes within the NIH, as more federal funding is allocated for research related to biological terrorism and emerging infectious diseases. Similarly, the research mission of the National Institute of Deafness and Communication Disorders coincides with the research interests of some clinical and laboratory investigators at various colleges and schools of veterinary medicine.
In contrast, the research missions of some other institutes within the NIH are such that researchers at colleges and schools of veterinary medicine may not be able to effectively compete for funding with any reasonable expectation for long-term success, especially if they are located on campuses without a school of human medicine. This is particularly true for investigators involved in research that requires the study of human subjects affected by specific disease states because no appropriate animal models exist, that requires performing efficacy trials in human subjects, that requires the analysis of biological samples from human patients with naturally occurring disease states, or that depends on facilities capable of housing primates or large numbers of rodents. Restrictions of this type tend to limit the spectrum of NIH research proposals investigators at some colleges and schools of veterinary medicine can realistically submit.
Unfortunately, a few institutes within the NIH that have research missions compatible with the research interests and capabilities of some colleges and schools of veterinary medicine have funding success rates that are relatively low. Examples in this regard include the National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, and National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, which had award success rates in 2006 of 13%, 16.9%, and 13.5%, respectively.
Geographic location—Historically, there have been large differences in the amounts of NIH research funding annually awarded to academic institutions located within various geographic regions of the United States.79–81 In general, the largest amounts of NIH research funding have been awarded to investigators located at institutions along the eastern and western coasts.79–81 Emphasizing this concept, there are several individual cities that host academic institutions and research organizations that annually receive over a billion dollars from the NIH alone. There are multiple reasons for this geographic distribution of NIH research funding, although variables such as population density and levels of supplemental state-funded support of academic institutions play a major role.
Intramural research funding—Research departments at many schools of human medicine that have been consistently successful competing for research funding from the NIH traditionally provide new faculty members with substantial intramural resources and support at the time they are hired. Intramural research funding for such purposes frequently varies from $300,000 to $500,000, but at the largest academic institutions, may exceed even this. Such funding provides a competitive advantage when recruiting research faculty and serves as a means for fostering an environment where newly hired faculty members primarily focus on establishing a functional laboratory and developing an independent research program. It also reduces the amount of time new research faculty need to devote to submitting grant proposals for extramural funding while encouraging maturation of research programs that can compete for future NIH awards.
In general, colleges and schools of veterinary medicine typically do not have sufficient financial resources to offer intramural research funding to new faculty members on a level equivalent to the amounts offered by schools of human medicine. Those colleges and schools of veterinary medicine that do have intramural funding to support investigative research typically cannot provide large amounts to each new research faculty member in all departments, and the resulting discrepancies in distribution of intramural research funding can adversely affect long-term research productivity and faculty morale.
Extramural research funding from private sources—Extramural research funding from private sources, such as philanthropic individuals, special interest organizations, private companies, and research foundations, can be used as seed money to help initiate research programs that will eventually attract NIH funding or can serve as a bridge to support research programs during periods when success rates for NIH awards are low. Although there are exceptions, most colleges and schools of veterinary medicine rarely receive financial contributions from private sources that are sufficient in magnitude or frequency to support and build entire research programs. Research faculty at colleges and schools of veterinary medicine may therefore experience greater difficulty maintaining productive human-oriented research programs, compared with investigators at schools of human medicine. As a consequence, investigators at colleges and schools of veterinary medicine can be relatively more vulnerable to periods of low research productivity, which can adversely affect their ability to attract future NIH awards.
Investment in research infrastructure—Schools of human medicine in the United States have allocated progressively greater amounts of financial resources to the renovation of existing infrastructure and the construction of new facilities, with a large proportion of these investments dedicated to the expansion of research capabilities for the purpose of attracting future NIH awards.82 For example, between 2003 and 2007, schools of human medicine in the United States collectively invested $9.5 billion in research facilities. Such developments will likely make it increasingly more difficult for colleges and schools of veterinary medicine to successfully compete on a national level for research funding allocated through NIH award mechanisms.
Discussion
A large number of variables appear to influence funding success rates for investigators seeking extramural support through NIH research programs. Unfortunately, performing the types of analyses that can identify significant associations between potential factors and success rates has not been possible because complete sets of original data for individual factors have not been available or have not been compiled. However, having previously received an NIH research award, selection of NIH institutes with higher funding rates, submission of grant applications through funding mechanisms that have higher funding success rates, presence of a school of human medicine on the same university campus, collaborative arrangements with NIH-funded researchers, and principal investigator degree all appear to have an important relationship with success rates for proposals submitted to the NIH by researchers at the colleges and schools of veterinary medicine in the United States.
Individual colleges and schools of veterinary medicine that currently have low levels of extramural research funding will need to make several changes if they want to establish the types of research programs that can successfully compete for NIH research funding. Possible options might include developing collaborative research programs with schools of human medicine, selectively recruiting researchers trained in laboratories consistently funded by competitive NIH grants, reallocating larger portions of their annual budgets for the purchase of advanced research equipment and instrumentation, and investment in faculty sabbatical and advanced research training programs. Other options might include facilitating the admission of veterinary student candidates who are considering a career in research, encouraging more of their researchers to participate in NIH career development award mechanisms, and encouraging students pursuing advanced degrees to apply for graduate research training and research postdoctoral positions at schools of human medicine with successful records attracting funding through competitive NIH award mechanisms.
The relative advantages and disadvantages of improving competitiveness for acquiring research funding from the NIH will have to be measured against the advantages and disadvantages of pursuing other avenues for increasing research funding, such as enhancing existing veterinary and agriculture-oriented research programs, establishing research contract arrangements, increasing veterinary student tuition fees, expanding small animal and large animal clinical caseloads and diagnostic services, and aggressively developing intellectual property opportunities arising from research discoveries. In instances where colleges and schools of veterinary medicine elect to develop or enhance programs to improve their competitiveness for acquiring research funding from the NIH, it will be necessary to perform extensive evaluations of the cost-benefit ratio for such initiatives. Financial commitments to existing veterinary clinical programs and the instruction of students in the professional veterinary curriculum must not be compromised, and estimates will have to be made regarding the magnitude of investment required to attract research funding that will be realized sometime in the future. Depending on the fields of research selected for development or enhancement, estimates will have to be made of the required level of financial support necessary to build specialized laboratory facilities, acquire specialized research instrumentation, and hire highly skilled research faculty. In situations where decisions are made to hire additional research faculty or replacements for retiring investigators to accommodate shifts in research emphasis, it will usually be necessary to offer higher salaries and larger laboratory start-up packages. Similarly, it will probably be necessary to assemble groups of researchers within a common field to maximize the probability of acquiring major NIH grants on a long-term basis. Such a transition could be problematic at many colleges and schools of veterinary medicine because their research departments are highly diversified for teaching and service purposes, but relatively small in size.
The potential benefits to research departments at a college or school of veterinary medicine can be substantial when a faculty investigator establishes a successful research program that attracts large amounts of NIH funding. However, for faculty members to build the types of research programs capable of obtaining consistent NIH funding, it will usually be necessary for them to devote a large proportion, if not the entire amount, of their time to conducting laboratory investigations, writing grant applications, publishing research manuscripts, and training graduate research students. Although such practices are generally considered conventional or standard for research in other fields, their implementation at colleges and schools of veterinary medicine could potentially create logistical and administrative complications. In situations where faculty members who are early in their academic careers either negotiate to devote most of their time to conducting investigative research that can attract NIH awards or are encouraged by departmental design to do so, an increased burden may be placed on other faculty members to increase the amount of time they spend performing veterinary or agriculture-oriented research because demonstrated participation in veterinary and agriculture-oriented research usually impacts how effectively colleges and schools of veterinary medicine convey to local state government the need for increases in annual budget allocations.
Some faculty investigators who are attempting to develop human-oriented research programs that can compete for NIH funding may for various reasons not be able to commit an extensive amount of time to teaching students in the professional veterinary curriculum. As a result, a greater proportion of teaching responsibilities may have to be transferred to individuals conducting veterinary and agriculture-oriented research and to veterinary clinicians, particularly if sufficient financial resources are not available to hire additional faculty. In instances when research departments elect to primarily fill any new faculty positions with researchers who have developed research programs that can compete for NIH funding, their participation in the delivery of the professional veterinary curriculum could compromise maintaining a smooth transition of veterinary students into clinical service rotations.
Despite all attempts to maximize research productivity, a certain percentage of faculty investigators involved predominantly in conducting human-oriented research at colleges and schools of veterinary medicine will have a low degree of success acquiring NIH grants. Assistant professors at colleges and schools of veterinary medicine who are exclusively involved in human-oriented research but have received few or no NIH awards and spend only minimal time teaching may experience difficulty successfully attaining tenure and promotion, while associate professors may have similar difficulties at universities that require applicants to demonstrate excellence in 2 or more academic missions for promotion to full professor. Unfortunately, it is commonly assumed in academia that all research proposals that do not receive funding are in some way scientifically inferior or flawed in concept. In reality, there are a number of factors that determine annual award success rates for research proposals submitted to federal agencies and private research foundations that are beyond any individual investigator's control. Most prominent in this regard are downward trends in the nation's economy, increased receipt of proposals for a particular field of research, and abrupt government-driven or public relations–driven redirection of appropriations into alternative fields of research.
In taking into account all possible considerations, one of the most fundamental assessments colleges and schools of veterinary medicine will need to make is whether the advantages of developing human-oriented research programs are greater than the advantages of simply improving current research departments. Implementing the latter option could potentially help a larger percentage of faculty members acquire smaller intramural and extramural grants and stimulate greater overall research productivity in fields of investigation that are in closer alignment with the research missions of the veterinary profession and the land-grant university system.
ABBREVIATIONS
| NIH | National Institutes of Health |
| AREA | Academic Research and Enhancement Awards |
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