Two strikes: limited NIH R55 and R56 retooling funds and abolishment of the A2 grant mechanism.

The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) are facing significant budgetary challenges as a result of the current economic climate. The recent sunset of investigator-initiated R01-type research grants after one revised submission, coupled with the present lack of an NIH retooling funding mechanism for such grant applicants, creates a concerning risk that talented and well-trained investigators may be forced to give up their research careers. Existing NIH retooling mechanisms include the R55 Shannon Award, which was established in 1991 and was essentially replaced in 2005 by the R56 award. There is an urgent need to either significantly expand the R55/R56 mechanisms and definition of NIH grant bridging/retooling support for unfunded meritorious proposals or introduce a new mechanism that provides specific support to investigators with competitive but unfunded R01 revised grants. An expanded retooling funding mechanism deserves implementation during continuing assessment of whether allowance of only one revision of research proposals has achieved its initial intended goals.