The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced on April 23 that it will increase annual pay levels for Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) recipients in FY 2024. Predoctoral scholars will receive about a 4% increase, and postdoctoral scholars will receive about an 8% increase, bringing levels to $28,224 and $61,008 (for recipients with zero years of experience), respectively; the postdoctoral scholar stipend is adjusted upward, based on years of experience. In addition, the annual childcare subsidy will increase $500, and eligible scholars will receive an additional $200 for training-related expenses. The new stipend levels are informed by the NIH Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD) Working Group on Re-envisioning NIH-Supported Postdoctoral Training, who presented the working group’s recommendations to the ACD in December 2023. The working group was tasked with developing recommendations to address the recent decline in postdocs and support a sustainable and diverse workforce [refer to Washington Highlights, Jan. 12, 2024].
As noted in the NIH news release, while the increased pay levels do not reach the increase recommended by the NIH working group, “the increase is based on current NIH funding levels, which remained flat in the constrained budget environment. Pending the availability of funds through future appropriations, NIH plans to further increase stipend funding levels over the next three to five years to reach the advisory group’s recommended starting pay level of $70,000 annually for postdoctoral NRSAs.” Michael Lauer, MD, NIH Deputy Director for Extramural Research, further discusses the stipend increases in an Open Mike blog post.