Internal grant review to increase grant funding for junior investigators.

Decreasing biomedical research support over the past decade has driven many talented young scientists to seek careers outside academia. In 2011, the Department of Neurology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine developed an internal grant review program (IGRP) to systematically review career development awards (CDAs) and research grants (e.g., R01s) for junior investigators prior to NIH submission. With IGRP implementation, we observed significant increases in the number of CDAs and R-grants awarded to junior investigators. Thus, internal grant review is an effective means for supporting junior faculty and help them retain their research roles within academia.