To support future medical advances, revamp the rules for funding research

Bold, young scientists have the potential to revolutionize scientific research and accelerate the pace of innovation. They have disruptive ideas and a unique blend of intellect, knowledge, imagination, daring and perseverance; exactly what’s required to make truly transformational leaps in medical discovery. 

These early career investigators are more likely to be women or from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, and they have been impacted disproportionately by pandemic-related lab closures, disruptions in research and publishing, and academic hiring freezes — vital building blocks for a distinguished career in the sciences.

Proposed legislation, such as the bipartisan RISE Act, aims to minimize the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on research, but we must use this unprecedented moment to completely reimagine how the funding ecosystem invests in and prioritizes young and diverse researchers. If we don’t, we risk squandering an opportunity to put scientific research on a new trajectory — one with the potential to fast-track truly innovative breakthroughs while meaningfully supporting researchers from traditionally underrepresented groups. These two things are intimately linked; at its core, science is about discovery, and innovating requires fostering a range of perspectives. 

The medical research field is traditionally white and male, with an urgent need for greater inclusivity, and race and gender diversity. Increased funding opportunities and a focus on women and groups disproportionately excluded can go a long way in building greater equity in the field.

The government, philanthropic and corporate sectors have a responsibility to support these early career researchers. As the largest public funder of biomedical research, the National Institutes of Health is particularly well-positioned to catalyze this shift. More funding for the agency is the obvious starting place because research funding hasn’t kept up with inflation. We need an even bolder commitment than the Biden administration’s proposed $52 billion for the NIH in 2022. We need $100 billion. 

It’s not just the money. Now is the moment to lock in policies that enhance support for young researchers who have the potential to produce transformative health breakthroughs. At the core of this problem is a “hyper competitiveness” within the NIH ecosystem that selectively impacts early career researchers. These investigators are more likely to engage in high-risk, high-reward research of the sort that has yielded today’s multiple vaccines against COVID-19. Hyper competitiveness in the system can skew support for research that is risk-averse and incremental in scope. To address this, at least 10 percent of the NIH budget — regardless of the total — must go to programs that support early career investigators. 

The NIH also can provide more fellowship programs and grant opportunities to ensure that promising young investigators gain independence early on in their careers. Many young researchers wait close to a decade for their first independent NIH research grant. That’s too long. The NIH especially must ensure that highly innovative young investigators have access to funding opportunities that support them at critical junctures in their careers, such as the transition between postdoctoral research and their first faculty appointment.

Grant programs for young investigators also should be structured to encourage innovation and increase the likelihood of truly transformative research advances. Increasing the number of grant programs that don’t require preliminary data will enable early career researchers to move into promising new research directions as scientific opportunities arise. History shows that the most significant breakthroughs often come from unplanned investigation.  

Yes, the NIH needs more funding. A lot more. But it also needs to change — change its funding and policies to stop rewarding the routine so that we can unleash some of the best, brightest, youngest and most diverse minds in research. We’ll all benefit.

Gary K. Michelson, M.D. is the founder and co-chair of the Michelson Medical Research Foundation and the Michelson Prizes, annual awards presented to young investigators who are advancing human immunology, vaccine discovery, and immunotherapy research. He is a member of The Giving Pledge.