NIH Releases Results of COVID-19 Impacts Survey of Extramural Researchers

The NIH Office of Extramural Research on March 25 released results from two surveys of extramural researchers seeking information on the impacts of COVID-19 to the research enterprise. Initial survey results show respondents indicated concerns about career trajectories and the ability to apply for grants; mental health impacts including from external stressors, isolation, and caregiving duties; and decreased productivity in part due to decreased access to labs and facilities. “The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been far-reaching. Our survey findings show that the scientific workforce has not been immune to its effects. It is clear the NIH-funded community of extramural researchers has experienced inequities in several domains, with early-career researchers and those with caregiving responsibilities most affected,” Marie Bernard, MD, acting chief officer for scientific workforce diversity, and Michael Lauer, deputy director for extramural research, said in their summary of the survey results.