Indirect costs and scientific impact at NIMH

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Research Funding
• Health Services Research
• Research Administration

Background:

• National Institutes of Health (NIH) funds extramural research, with total project costs influenced by institutional indirect cost rates.
• Indirect cost rates cover research infrastructure and administration, varying significantly across institutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between indirect cost rates and the scientific impact of NIH-funded research.
• To determine if higher indirect rates correlate with increased publications, citations, and patents.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of NIH RePORTER database for R01, R21, and R03 grants funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (2012-2023).
• Multivariable regression used to assess the relationship between indirect rate and scientific impact metrics (publications, H-index, total citations, patents).

Main Results:

• Greater indirect rates were associated with a statistically significant increase in publications, 5-year H-index, and total citations per grant.
• A 10% increase in indirect rate correlated with a 0.30 increase in publications and a 0.25 increase in H-index.
• Each 10% rise in indirect rate was linked to a 20% increase in the odds of patent filing.

Conclusions:

• Institutions with higher indirect cost rates show modest but statistically significant greater scientific benefits from NIH-funded research.
• Findings provide data for policymakers to evaluate the cost-benefit relationship of indirect costs in research funding.