NIH awards to individual members of FASEB societies: an initial examination.

Data from the FASEB Directory of Members were merged with information on NIH extramural awards to determine the percentage of FASEB society members who are principal investigators on NIH grants. Analysis of FY 1994 data reveals that FASEB society members earned 30.3% of all NIH awards and 38.8% of the R01 awards. Nineteen percent of the total membership of the nine FASEE societies were NIH principal investigators in FY 1994. This fraction rises to 21.6% when student and emeritus members are excluded. When adjustments are made for the fraction of the membership in government and industrial organizations, more than one-fourth of the academically based members are NIH principal investigators in FY 1994. Although the examination of principal investigators cannot document the full extent of NIH awards to members of FASEB societies (it was not possible to identify all of the scientists, postdoctoral fellows, and students supported through these grants), the study clearly delineates the magnitude of one essential part of the larger system of research support.