NIH Support for Early Stage Investigators in FYs 2024 and 2025 (Various R01-equivalent awards)

NIH Support for Early Stage Investigators in FYs 2024 and 2025 (Various R01-equivalent awards) is sponsored by National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH prioritizes funding for Early Stage Investigators (ESIs), who are within 10 years of their terminal degree or completion of clinical training and have not yet received a substantial NIH grant.

NIH Support for Early Stage Investigators in FYs 2024 and 2025 | Grants & Funding U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health NIH Support for Early Stage Investigators in FYs 2024 and 2025 Today, we are reporting on the number of early stage investigators (ESIs) supported on R01-equivalent awards in fiscal years (FYs) 2024 and 2025.

ESIs are those who are within 10 years of their terminal degree or completion of clinical training and who have not yet been awarded a substantial NIH grant (R01-equivalent or more). When we last provided similar data in FY 2023 , NIH supported 1,587 ESI awardees, a slight decrease compared to FY 2022 . We remain concerned about the challenges faced by ESIs pursuing careers in an increasingly competitive funding and hiring environment.

The strength and stability of the biomedical research enterprise rely on a continuum of highly trained investigators who can generate new insights, develop innovative ideas, and advance the translation of scientific research into improved health for all.

NIH Director Dr. Bhattacharya has also repeatedly stated the need for a sustained commitment to supporting early career researchers' growth and continuity (listen to this NIH Director's Desk podcast episode as an example).

To this end, we continue making considerable efforts to enhance support for ESIs pursuing NIH support, such as: Prioritizing ESI applications for funding Separating ESI applications from established investigators during review Implementing a simplified framework for peer review to create a fairer and more transparent evaluation process for emerging researchers.

Integrating the needs of early career investigators directly into core funding tenets as part of the recently released NIH Unified Funding Strategy Prioritizing funding for the New Innovator and Katz Awards encouraging early career researchers to pursue innovative and possibly high-risk, high-reward research questions that will advance the NIH’s mission In this post, for simplicity we refer to investigators applying for and receiving awards.

But, as a reminder, NIH makes awards to institutions (not individual researchers). Table 1 shows the number of principal investigators (PIs) applying for or receiving an R01-equivalent grant in FYs 2021 to 2025, disaggregated by career stage. NIH supported 1,423 and 1,144 ESIs in FYs 2024 and 2025, respectively.

The decrease seen in FY 2025 may likely be due in part to NIH implementing a requirement to use 50% of its remaining competing Research Project Grant (RPG) funds (starting in June 2025) for full-year funded competing RPGs, which was expected to lead to fewer awards and support fewer researchers overall. Table 1.

PIs on Type 1 R01-Equivalent Applications and Awards by Career Stage: FYs 2021-2025 Fiscal Year Career Stage Applicants Awardees 2025 ESI 6,065 1,144 New, Non-ESI* 7,639 761 At-Risk** 8,740 1,475 Established*** 12,770 2,505 2024 ESIs 5,446 1,423 New, Non-ESI 7,158 1,130 At-Risk 7,990 1,907 Established 11,932 3,260 2023 ESIs 5,325 1,587 New, Non-ESI 6,755 1,214 At-Risk 7,695 2,075 Established 11,000 3,511 2022 ESIs 5,435 1,609 New, Non-ESI 7,241 1,257 At-Risk 7,736 2,087 Established 11,045 3,598 2021 ESIs 5,410 1,513 New, Non-ESI 7,694 1,280 At-Risk 7,985 2,026 Established 11,010 3,392 * New, non-ESI are new to the NIH system but more than 10 years beyond their terminal degree or completion of clinical training.

** At-Risk Investigators are those who have received a prior substantial NIH award but will have no funding the following fiscal year if they are not successful in securing a competing award this year. *** Established investigators have received a prior substantial NIH award and will have NIH funding the following fiscal year irrespective of the outcome of this year’s competitions.

Table 2 shows the number of R01-equivalent applications submitted, discussed during review, and awarded by career stage in FYs 2021 to 2025. The Discussion Rate is a person-based metric that is the percent of applicants (people designated as PIs on an application) who had at least one application make it to the discussion stage of peer review. Table 2.

Discussion and Funding Rates for PIs on Type 1 R01-Equivalent Applications and Awards in FYs 2021-2025 Disaggregated by Career Stage Fiscal Year Career Stage Applicants Discussed Awardees Discussion Rate Funding Rate 2025 ESI 6,065 3,771 1,144 62. 2% 18. 9% New, Non-ESI 7639 3,981 761 52.

1% 10. 0% At Risk 8,740 5,285 1,475 60. 5% 16.

9% Established 12,770 8,826 2,505 69. 1% 19. 6% 2024 ESI 5,446 3,440 1,423 63.

2% 26. 1% New, Non-ESI 7,158 3,765 1,130 52. 6% 15.

8% At Risk 7,990 4,867 1,907 60. 9% 23. 9% Established 11,932 8,301 3,260 69.

6% 27. 3% 2023 ESI 5,325 3,487 1,587 65. 5% 29.

8% New, Non-ESI 6,755 3,547 1,214 52. 5% 18. 0% At Risk 7,695 4,629 2,075 60.

2% 27. 0% Established 11,000 7,686 3,511 69. 9% 31.

9% 2022 ESI 5,435 3,466 1,609 63. 8% 29. 6% New, Non-ESI 7,241 3,750 1,257 51.

8% 17. 4% At Risk 7,736 4,570 2,087 59. 1% 27.

0% Established 11,045 7,847 3,598 71. 0% 32. 6% 2021 ESI 5,410 3,322 1,513 61.

4% 28. 0% New, Non-ESI 7,694 3,854 1,280 50. 1% 16.

6% At Risk 7,985 4,704 2,026 58. 9% 25. 4% Established 11,010 7,594 3,392 69.

0% 30. 8% Table 3 shows the age of researchers at different career stages at the time of application and first award between FYs 2021-2025. The median age for ESIs in FYs 2024 and 2025 was 40, lower than the other career stages.

Table 3.

Type 1 R01-Equivalent Age by Career Stage of all Applicants and Awardees: FY 2021-2025 Fiscal Year Career Stage Number**** Mean Age (Years) Median Age (Years) Number Mean Age (Years) Median Age (Years) 2025 ESI 5,708 40 40 1,097 40 40 New, Non-ESI 6,129 50 49 652 48 47 At-Risk 8,151 56 56 1,403 54 53 Established 12,029 53 51 2,388 52 51 2024 ESI 5,100 40 40 1,333 40 40 New, Non-ESI 5,679 50 49 943 49 48 At-Risk 7,444 56 56 1,797 54 53 Established 11,229 53 51 3,075 53 51 2023 ESI 4,970 40 40 1,491 40 39 New, Non-ESI 5,444 50 49 1,027 49 47 At-Risk 7,147 56 56 1,944 55 54 Established 10,344 52 51 3,324 52 51 2022 ESI 5,029 40 39 1,503 40 39 New, Non-ESI 5,692 50 48 1,046 49 47 At-Risk 7,126 56 56 1,951 55 54 Established 10,346 52 51 3,402 52 51 2021 ESI 5,011 40 39 1,428 40 39 New, Non-ESI 5,979 50 48 1,055 48 47 At-Risk 7,369 56 56 1,899 55 53 Established 10,346 53 51 3,203 52 51 **** Applicant counts are lower in Table 3 than Tables 1 and 2 as this reflects the number of researchers who self-reported age information (which is optional).

NIH will continue to closely monitor challenges faced by early career investigators and implement programs and other initiatives targeting barriers to career progression. Information on these and other workforce related programs is available on the NIH Grants and Funding site . Editor's Note: Table 3 was edited on 2/26/26 to correct the 14,034 at-risk awards to 1,403.

Early Stage Investigator (ESI) Research Training and Career Development Considerations Before Contacting an NIH Program Officer: Practical Guidance Using Health Disparities Science as a Representative Example Contacting an NIH Program Officer (PO ) at the right time can be an important part of preparing a competitive research application.

Early communication helps establish a connection with NIH staff who understand your scientific area and the priorities of their Institute, Center, or Office (ICO).

Updates to NIH Fellowship, Training, and Career Development Applications: Referral and Review Highlights If you’re planning to apply for an NIH fellowship (F), career development award (K), or training grant (T), staying informed about recent NIH efforts to centralize peer review can help you understand how your application may be assigned and reviewed. For technical issues E-mail OER Webmaster