Physiology in a South African homeland.

With the scientific community suffering through a continuing funding crisis, the Bush administration issued a pledge that “salvation is just around the corner.” D. Allen Bromley, presidential science advisor, issued the pledge to a group of presidential scientists attending the Forum on Supporting Biomedical Research held at the National Academy of Sciences. Bromley promised the President would be focusing attention on the problem of biomedical funding, and the Bush administration would recommend adequate funding for NIH in the 1992 budget. The problem of biomedical research funding is not a new one. However, it is one that has been exacerbated by NIH’s decision to extend the average duration of an award from 3.3 years in 1982 to 4.3 years in 1990. As a result, the funds available to support new and competing renewal proposals have gradually disappeared even as the NIH budget increased moderately each year. In 1990, it is anticipated that only 4,600 awards will be made because over 50% of the competing awards are being funded for 5 or more years. Senator Dale Bumpers (D-AR) clearly defined the problem facing the scientific community. Even though NIH has more money, awards more grants, and supports more research than ever before, we