STABLE & SECURE POSITIONS
For decades, researchers have seen their pay, benefits, and standard of living slowly deteriorate. This trend has only accelerated since the Great Recession: as early as 2012, the NIH itself was already recommending that pay be increased for early-career researchers. A wave of unionization across the research sector has remedied some of this historic shortfall, but it also points up the need for something more: a new industry standard, to guarantee researchers the stability and security they need to serve the public.
“Research workers need competitive compensation and benefits (healthcare, retirement, caregiving leave & support), and concrete support to develop stable careers in research for the public good. We call on the NIH to create funding opportunities to invest in stable careers beyond term-limited Postdoc appointments.”
– From our letter to the NIH
Without such a standard, more and more researchers will simply leave public service altogether. The corporate world is already the most common destination for many post-PhD researchers—which means thousands of highly qualified scientists every year are choosing to work for Big Tech or Big Pharma instead of for the common good. Only the NIH has the power to change this on an industry-wide scale. It’s time to use that power.