Policy IQ—Supporting Equitable Research

Policy IQ

Supporting Equitable Research
Two programs provide significant funding.

The U.S. invests federal dollars in scientific research through agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). These and other research agencies allocate funding through a merit review process that identifies and supports research priorities.

While some states have many research-intensive institutions with the resources and infrastructure to secure significant federal funding for research, others are building that capacity to compete for research dollars. Both NIH and NSF have longstanding programs to increase geographic diversity by building research capacity in states and territories with historically low levels of federal research funding.

These programs provide significant benefits by building infrastructure, fostering the development of a skilled and diverse workforce, and addressing local and regional issues. Here’s more about two of these programs.

ENHANCING RESEARCH

At 2% of the NSF’s annual budget, the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) aims to help institutions and investigators be more successful in competing for NSF’s general budget dollars.

States and territories are eligible for EPSCoR programs if they have been awarded 0.75% or less of the NSF budget over the past five years. Currently, 25 states and three territories qualify. Each state must have a science and technology plan updated every five years so that the EPSCoR programs can focus on research priorities specific to the jurisdiction.

The program at NSF uses three investment strategies: research infrastructure improvement (RII); co-funding support, which combines EPSCoR resources with funding from a directorate to support meritorious research; and outreach and engagement.

Within the RII programs, there are three tracks: The first addresses infrastructure based on the jurisdiction’s science and technology plan; the second focuses on collaborations among jurisdictions; and the third supports EPSCoR research fellows to stimulate cross-sector collaboration.

Currently, all 28 jurisdictions combined receive about 13% of NSF research funding. With the passage of the CHIPS and Science Act in 2022, Congress sought to address this imbalance by increasing the share of the NSF budget that goes to EPSCoR jurisdictions. The amount of research and scholarship money designated will gradually increase until it reaches 20% in fiscal year 2029.

BUILDING CAPACITY

The Institutional Development Awards (IDeA) are administered by the National Institutes for General Medical Sciences. The goal is to enhance the research competitiveness of institutions and individuals in qualifying states that have historically received low levels of NIH funding. Currently, 23 states and Puerto Rico qualify.

Learn more about the program.

Determining the effectiveness of the EPSCoR and IDeA programs has been challenging given the diversity of factors at play in each jurisdiction. Evaluations have found that the programs successfully build research infrastructure, promote faculty retention, and increase productivity but that there has not been a significant geographic shift in the distribution of federal research funding.

Recommendations for maximizing the impact of these programs have focused on continuing to build resources and infrastructure, supporting the development of a diverse and skilled workforce, and strengthening collaborations.

This article was originally published in the March 2024 issue of The Physiologist Magazine. Copyright © 2024 by the American Physiological Society.