Earlier this year, NIH proposed changes to the peer review of Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Fellowship (F) applications by restructuring the review criteria and modifying sections of the PHS Fellowship Supplemental Form specific to NRSA programs.
The proposed changes would 1) allow peer reviewers to better evaluate the applicant’s potential and the quality of the scientific training plan without undue influence of the sponsor’s or institution’s reputation; and 2) ensure that the information provided in the application is aligned with the restructured criteria and targeted to the fellowship candidate’s specific training needs.
NIH then issued a request for information (RFI) to collect community feedback on the proposed changes—refer to Update on Improving Fellowship Review.
The results are in! NIH received 164 unique responses to the RFI as follows:
- 147 from individuals
- 10 from scientific societies
- 7 from academic institutions
With regard to review criteria, many respondents were supportive of efforts to simplify the review of NRSA fellowships to emphasize the potential of applicant, strength of science, and the quality of the training plan. They also believed that the proposed changes would make reviews more equitable and less subjective for applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds, without penalizing other applicants.
Many respondents were in favor of revising the PHS Fellowship Supplemental Form and believed it would streamline the application, reduce burden, and improve clarity and accessibility of the application process. While many were in favor of removing grades from this section, a smaller subset of respondents believed that grades should still be evaluated, as they believe past performance is often a predictor of future performance.
A trans-NIH committee will now develop a timeline and implement changes to improve fellowship review.
For additional information, read Update on Improving NRSA Fellowship Review: Analysis of Comments from the Request for Information by Dr. Mike Lauer, NIH’s Deputy Director for Extramural Research, and Dr. Noni Byrnes, Director of NIH’s Center for Scientific Review.