More inside baseball about how overhead rates are determined from former NIGMS head Jeremy Berg. 🧵
bsky.app/profile/jere...
bsky.app/profile/jere...
Indirect rates are not determined by NIH. Instead, they are the product of elaborate negotiations between each institution and the “cognizant federal agency” according to an Office of Management and Budget document, Circular A-21.
1/n
1/n
February 8, 2025 at 1:01 AM
More inside baseball about how overhead rates are determined from former NIGMS head Jeremy Berg. 🧵
bsky.app/profile/jere...
bsky.app/profile/jere...
From the former director of NIGMS, the most thorough inside summary of what is happening at NIH that I've read to date.
I am not going to call this a Bluetorial, because I do not want to sully that term (which, at least I, find joyful).
Let’s call it a Orwellial.
Let’s call it a Orwellial.
a cartoon of homer simpson holding a card
ALT: a cartoon of homer simpson holding a card
media.tenor.com
March 2, 2025 at 8:43 PM
From the former director of NIGMS, the most thorough inside summary of what is happening at NIH that I've read to date.
I started reading DrugMonkey when I was NIGMS Director. I will impressed with his command of NIH policies and practices and his clear, direct voice to scientists and to NIH.
We started the NIGMS Feedback
Loop blog (the first IC director-written blog) in large parts because of his example.
1/n
We started the NIGMS Feedback
Loop blog (the first IC director-written blog) in large parts because of his example.
1/n
You are not alone in this NIH grant game drugmonkey.wordpress.com/2025/05/21/y...
You are not alone in this NIH grant game
Many years ago I started blogging about the NIH system of extramural grant award because of my own frustrations with the system, as it appeared to be to me. Over time, I realized that there were a …
drugmonkey.wordpress.com
May 23, 2025 at 4:22 AM
I started reading DrugMonkey when I was NIGMS Director. I will impressed with his command of NIH policies and practices and his clear, direct voice to scientists and to NIH.
We started the NIGMS Feedback
Loop blog (the first IC director-written blog) in large parts because of his example.
1/n
We started the NIGMS Feedback
Loop blog (the first IC director-written blog) in large parts because of his example.
1/n
NIGMS is signed onto the F31 NOFO. grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...
NOT-GM-26-002: Notice of NIGMS Participation in PA-25-422 "Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship (Parent F31)"
NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts: Notice of NIGMS Participation in PA-25-422
grants.nih.gov
March 19, 2026 at 6:09 PM
NIGMS is signed onto the F31 NOFO. grants.nih.gov/grants/guide...
July 6, 2026 at 1:29 PM
Well I guess I no longer have ESI status.... because its NoA day! I am thrilled my R35 application was funded by NIGMS! I
July 15, 2026 at 10:01 PM
Well I guess I no longer have ESI status.... because its NoA day! I am thrilled my R35 application was funded by NIGMS! I
Here is Carolyn starting her talk.
Note the NIGMS logo on the left top of the slide. We developed this when I was NIGMS Director and I loved it. Shortly after I left, NIH made institutes use uniform logos to improve NIH's brand recognition.
2/2
Note the NIGMS logo on the left top of the slide. We developed this when I was NIGMS Director and I loved it. Shortly after I left, NIH made institutes use uniform logos to improve NIH's brand recognition.
2/2
June 11, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Here is Carolyn starting her talk.
Note the NIGMS logo on the left top of the slide. We developed this when I was NIGMS Director and I loved it. Shortly after I left, NIH made institutes use uniform logos to improve NIH's brand recognition.
2/2
Note the NIGMS logo on the left top of the slide. We developed this when I was NIGMS Director and I loved it. Shortly after I left, NIH made institutes use uniform logos to improve NIH's brand recognition.
2/2
STILL no New or Competing Renewal awards from NIGMS. Only NIGMS seems to not be making these awards.
NIGMS seems to be the only institute at NIH that has issued zero new or competitive renewal grants sine 2/6/2025. zero. Its crazy and scary.
March 31, 2025 at 6:41 PM
STILL no New or Competing Renewal awards from NIGMS. Only NIGMS seems to not be making these awards.
At some point, I discovered some materials with some history about NIGMS.
This included the "authorizing language" for NIGMS from 1962.
(What the heck was "authorizing language?")
5/n
This included the "authorizing language" for NIGMS from 1962.
(What the heck was "authorizing language?")
5/n
July 6, 2025 at 11:48 AM
At some point, I discovered some materials with some history about NIGMS.
This included the "authorizing language" for NIGMS from 1962.
(What the heck was "authorizing language?")
5/n
This included the "authorizing language" for NIGMS from 1962.
(What the heck was "authorizing language?")
5/n
We were planning on submitting a diversity supplement soon. This is what the NIGMS diversity supplement website looks like today. 🫠
January 22, 2025 at 9:57 PM
We were planning on submitting a diversity supplement soon. This is what the NIGMS diversity supplement website looks like today. 🫠
"An email from NIH’s National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) to research-center grantees, seen by Science, requires their institutions to promise that U.S. authors of papers NIH has flagged because of foreign co-authors will not collaborate with them in the future."
“Units of the NIH are privately directing grantees to request permission in advance for any co-authorship with a scholar affiliated with a foreign institution, even if all the work was done in the United States.”
Grantees also told to remove papers with foreign authors from progress reports.
Grantees also told to remove papers with foreign authors from progress reports.
U.S. researchers face new restrictions on publishing with foreign collaborators
NIH, NASA grantees are confused and concerned amid agencies’ piecemeal communication
www.science.org
May 22, 2026 at 6:32 PM
"An email from NIH’s National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) to research-center grantees, seen by Science, requires their institutions to promise that U.S. authors of papers NIH has flagged because of foreign co-authors will not collaborate with them in the future."
NIGMS staff asked the NIGMS Council to give them permission to consider this grant for funding despite the poor score and some harsh criticism.
The NIGMS Council did approve this request. The grant was funded in August 1984, the same month I finished my dissertation work.
10/13
The NIGMS Council did approve this request. The grant was funded in August 1984, the same month I finished my dissertation work.
10/13
November 14, 2025 at 3:31 PM
NIGMS staff asked the NIGMS Council to give them permission to consider this grant for funding despite the poor score and some harsh criticism.
The NIGMS Council did approve this request. The grant was funded in August 1984, the same month I finished my dissertation work.
10/13
The NIGMS Council did approve this request. The grant was funded in August 1984, the same month I finished my dissertation work.
10/13
PSA for people with NIH grant periods starting January 1st (including most NIGMS MIRAs): your RPPR is due Saturday, but they haven’t sent out the usual automated reminders, presumably due to the shutdown
November 11, 2025 at 1:20 AM
PSA for people with NIH grant periods starting January 1st (including most NIGMS MIRAs): your RPPR is due Saturday, but they haven’t sent out the usual automated reminders, presumably due to the shutdown
The IRACDA program was one of my favorites at NIGMS, good for the postdocs involved and for the institutions where they taught. Terminating it is just idiocy. Well said @ggnanadesikan.bsky.social
NIH has terminated my IRACDA fellowship. Here are some of my reflections on this moment and why it matters not just to me and my colleagues, but to everyone.
#FundScience #StandUpForScience #ScienceSavesLives
curiouser-gita.blogspot.com/2025/04/nih-...
#FundScience #StandUpForScience #ScienceSavesLives
curiouser-gita.blogspot.com/2025/04/nih-...
NIH Cuts, Priorities, and "We regret to inform you..."
A travel, photo, hiking, and science blog with lots of animals.
curiouser-gita.blogspot.com
May 4, 2025 at 5:23 AM
The IRACDA program was one of my favorites at NIGMS, good for the postdocs involved and for the institutions where they taught. Terminating it is just idiocy. Well said @ggnanadesikan.bsky.social
Of these, 97 received funding from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) (with some also receiving funding from other institutes).
97/174 = 56% while NIGMS typically receives 7% of NIH budget.
3/n
97/174 = 56% while NIGMS typically receives 7% of NIH budget.
3/n
January 26, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Of these, 97 received funding from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) (with some also receiving funding from other institutes).
97/174 = 56% while NIGMS typically receives 7% of NIH budget.
3/n
97/174 = 56% while NIGMS typically receives 7% of NIH budget.
3/n
New NIGMS undergraduate training program is forecasted. simpler.grants.gov/opportunity/...
Opportunity Listing - NIGMS Institutional Biomedical Undergraduate Research Training Program
Read detailed information about this funding opportunity.
simpler.grants.gov
July 1, 2025 at 7:15 PM
New NIGMS undergraduate training program is forecasted. simpler.grants.gov/opportunity/...
For this who are unaware, the reason NIH now posts these data habitually on the data book site is… Jeremy Berg. He pioneered this openness as NIGMS Director.
Since there is some discussion that NIH institutes should not simply use paylines to determine which grants to fund, I thought I would share some old data.
These are plots of funding probability fas a function of percentile score for 9 institutes.
1/7
These are plots of funding probability fas a function of percentile score for 9 institutes.
1/7
September 26, 2025 at 3:14 PM
For this who are unaware, the reason NIH now posts these data habitually on the data book site is… Jeremy Berg. He pioneered this openness as NIGMS Director.
This can't be said enough. The narrative is quickly becoming but universities need fed funds, when it should be that the fed govt needs universities. NCI/NIGMS funding to Harvard/MIT supported research that led to the discovery of Herceptin, a cancer drug that has saved 3 million lives to date! 🧪
The trope that universities are "dependent" on the federal government fundamentally misunderstands how vital this partnership has been for the US. The private sector can't replace it. If we kill it, we're all worse off. From @donmoyn.bsky.social and me: donmoynihan.substack.com/p/are-univer...
April 24, 2025 at 4:36 PM
This can't be said enough. The narrative is quickly becoming but universities need fed funds, when it should be that the fed govt needs universities. NCI/NIGMS funding to Harvard/MIT supported research that led to the discovery of Herceptin, a cancer drug that has saved 3 million lives to date! 🧪
Excellent news. The NIGMS Building Undergraduate Research Training (BURT) T34 NOFO is published. First due is Feb 25th, for December 26 funding. This condenses previous UG NOFOs so reach out to email/previous PO if you have Qs. files.simpler.grants.gov/opportunitie...
PAR-26-033: NIGMS Institutional Biomedical Undergraduate Research Training (BURT) Program (T34)
files.simpler.grants.gov
December 29, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Excellent news. The NIGMS Building Undergraduate Research Training (BURT) T34 NOFO is published. First due is Feb 25th, for December 26 funding. This condenses previous UG NOFOs so reach out to email/previous PO if you have Qs. files.simpler.grants.gov/opportunitie...
So, let me share the NIGMS processes from my time.
1/8
1/8
I will share how things worked when I was at NIGMS back in the day.
I am confident in varies across institutes (as almost everything does).
I am confident in varies across institutes (as almost everything does).
November 25, 2025 at 3:58 PM
So, let me share the NIGMS processes from my time.
1/8
1/8
Sad news. I had heard about this privately but had not seen the NIGMS Feedback Loop post.
Tony Beck, a long-time PO who managed SEPA and IDeA programs very ably for decades, passed away in April.
He literally died at his desk at NIGMS.
loop.nigms.nih.gov/2025/05/reme...
Tony Beck, a long-time PO who managed SEPA and IDeA programs very ably for decades, passed away in April.
He literally died at his desk at NIGMS.
loop.nigms.nih.gov/2025/05/reme...
Remembering L. Tony Beck
Feedback Loop alerts researchers to NIGMS funding policies, trends, plans, and more.
loop.nigms.nih.gov
May 29, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Sad news. I had heard about this privately but had not seen the NIGMS Feedback Loop post.
Tony Beck, a long-time PO who managed SEPA and IDeA programs very ably for decades, passed away in April.
He literally died at his desk at NIGMS.
loop.nigms.nih.gov/2025/05/reme...
Tony Beck, a long-time PO who managed SEPA and IDeA programs very ably for decades, passed away in April.
He literally died at his desk at NIGMS.
loop.nigms.nih.gov/2025/05/reme...
Just found out that a friend got his NIGMS R35 MIRA Notice of Grant Award two weeks ago. My heart sings for every single person who gets an NGA right now.
May 7, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Just found out that a friend got his NIGMS R35 MIRA Notice of Grant Award two weeks ago. My heart sings for every single person who gets an NGA right now.
Bethesda bound. Tomorrow I start with NIGMS.
August 13, 2023 at 7:22 PM
Bethesda bound. Tomorrow I start with NIGMS.
I just withdrew my application for the NIGMS Director position....
January 21, 2026 at 6:29 PM
I just withdrew my application for the NIGMS Director position....
Just received the NoA for an NIGMS MIRA R35 renewal. After two grants being in limbo since February, this is a HUGE relief!
July 4, 2025 at 10:42 PM
Just received the NoA for an NIGMS MIRA R35 renewal. After two grants being in limbo since February, this is a HUGE relief!