NIH to Implement Overhaul of Peer Review, Part II. (June 12, 2008)

On June 7 TFW reported on the implementation of the US National Institutes of Health's (NIH)  revised peer review system. Since then more details have become available.

NIH has earmarked US$ 1billion over the next five years to resource speculative research of which $250 million will fund a new category, Transformative R01 Awards, i.e. research of high risk but considered to have a potential of producing top rewards. The remaining $750 million will augment the existing Eureka, New Innovator and Pioneer awards which fund applications consider to be, while risky and innovative, not as "way out" as the Transformative R01 Awards.

NIH director Elias Zerhouni says of the overall package that they are implementing: "concrete solutions that will maximize flexibility, remove any unnecessary burden, stimulate new innovation and promote transformative research."