Senate health committee passes Next Generation Researchers Act

The Senate health committee passed the Next Generation Researchers Act (S. 2014) with bipartisan support on Tuesday, which aims to increase opportunities for young researchers and attract them to the NIH. The full Senate will now consider the bill.

“In order for America to out-innovate the rest of the world and create an economy built to last, we must protect and strengthen our investments in research, science and innovation. We can’t accomplish this without supporting and investing in the next generation of researchers,” Senator Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., said in a press release. “This bipartisan legislation demonstrates a commitment to our future scientists by improving their opportunities at NIH.”

Tammy Baldwin

Susan Collins

Co-sponsored by Senator Baldwin and Senator Susan Collins, R-Maine, S. 2014 will charge the NIH Office of the Director with coordinating all current and new NIH policies that intend to advance opportunities for new researchers and promote earlier research independence. Such current policies include the Pathway to Independence Award, the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award and ESI grant review procedures, and some of the new policies will aim to improve mentorship for new researchers, workforce diversity, workforce data collection and success in renewal funding.

Furthermore, S. 2014 will direct the NIH to consider National Academy of Sciences recommendations following its study of barriers for entry into biomedical research for early-stage and new researchers, a report on which the bill’s co-sponsors included in the recently passed Consolidated Appropriations Act, according to a press release. Current NIH policies, other legislative, administrative, educational and cultural barriers, and the impact of sequestration and budget constraints on the biomedical workforce will continue to be investigated.

“Perhaps the most important provision in the bill that Senator Baldwin and I have put forth is that it will help address the debt burden that young researchers face today by increasing the amount of loans that can be forgiven through the NIH’s loan repayment program,” Collins said during the executive session. “This was a recommendation of NIH’s Physician-Scientist Working Group and it is one of the reasons that our group has broad support from the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, the Association for American Medical Colleges, and of course the NIH.”

Inadequate funding for the NIH over the past decade was a major impetus for this bill, Baldwin said during the session, which has “not only put medical research at risk, but it’s had a devastating impact on our younger scientists.” The average age of a first-time NIH grant recipient is currently 42 years of age, she said — up from 36 in 1980, according to a press release. Moreover, just one out of six investigators succeed in receiving a second NIH grant.

“This bipartisan bill strengthens our nation’s commitment to the next generation of cutting-edge researchers,” Senator Collins said in the press release. “Maintaining our nation’s competitive edge in both research and innovation depends greatly on the strength of our commitment to attracting, cultivating and equipping world-class scientific minds. This critical investment will help to empower these young innovative researchers in Maine and across our country with the resources they need to continue to lead the world in groundbreaking scientific research and development.” – by Adam Leitenberger