(Biomedical) Research funding (in the U.S.)

Research Classifications

• “Basic” research– Goal: advancing knowledge

• Planetary exploration

• “Applied” research– Goal: improve life somehow

• Search for asteroids that might cross Earth’s orbit

Biomedical

• Usually hybrid between basic & applied

Where is research done?

• Universities (academia)

• Government agencies– NIH in Bethesda, MD– Centers for Disease Control (Atlanta)– Oak Ridge Nat’l Labs (TN)

• Private companies (industry)– Drug companies (Pharmaceutical industry)– Biotechnology– etc.

• Industry– More money? (investors, ‘profits’)– Typically applied research

• Academia– Compete for money– More basic research

Where does the money go?

People(Salaries/benefits/travel/etc)

Equipment(Computers/instrumentation)

Disposable supplies(Chemicals/growth media/etc)

A decent-sized lab can eat$ Million(s) per year

Where does the money come from?

• Government– ~$25 billion

• ~$20 billion from the NIH– $3 trillion Federal budget– $900 billion military

• Industry– ~$20 billion

• Charities– eg. JDRF

• Private foundations– eg. Howard Hughes Medical Institute ($500 million)

~$50 billion industry

How does the money get there?

• Lab structure (academia/govt)– Professor/Lab Head/Principle investigator (PI)

• Runs the lab• Answers to Chair(man) of the Department and college

administration

– Post-doctoral researchers (2-4 years on average)• Have Ph.D. and/or M.D. (typically)• ‘Apprentice’ to the P.I.

– Students (Graduate, undergraduate) (4-7 years)– Technicians (short- or long-term)

• Bachelor’s/Master’s degree• Career scientist OR Just out of college

How does the money get there?

• Apply for grants and/or fellowships– Competitive process

How does the money get there?

• P.I. (and lab personnel) come up with an idea for a project

• Write & submit one or more grant proposals– Purpose (ie. hypothesis to be tested)– Actual experiments to be performed– Budget proposal– Description of facilities– Personnel to do the job

How does the money get there?

• Grant proposals are reviewed– “Study section”– Done by ‘peers’: other lab P.I.s– Criteria

• Scientific merit: is the problem important? Is the hypothesis valid? • Novelty: has the question been asked before?• Potential for results: are the proposed experiments good ones?

What’s the quality of the P.I. and his/her lab?• Is the budget proposal appropriate?

– Maybe 10-20% of proposals get funded (depends on funds available, etc.)

**Getting grants requires salesmanship**

Project ComparisonNIH grants (millions)

~$20,000 total

• Stem cell research $600– Human embryonic $40– Non-human embryonic $100– Human non-embyronic $200– Non-human non-embryonic $270

Project ComparisonNIH grants (millions)

~$20,000 total

• Stem cell research $600

• Tobacco $500

• Cancer $5,500

• Biodefense $1,700

• HIV/AIDS $3,000