Principal investigator
In many countries, the term principal investigator (PI) refers to the holder of an independent grant and the lead researcher for the grant project, usually in the sciences, such as a laboratory study or a clinical trial. The phrase is also often used as a synonym for "head of the laboratory" or "research group leader". While the expression is common in the sciences, it is used widely for the person or persons who make final decisions and supervise funding and expenditures on a given research project.[1]
A co-investigator (Co-I) assists the principal investigator in the management and leadership of the research project. There may be a number of co-investigators supporting a PI.[2]
Federal funding
In the context of United States
In the context of a clinical trial, a PI may be an academic working with grants from
There were 20,458 PIs on NIH R01 grants in US biomedical research in 2000. In 2013, this number was 21,511. At the same time, the success rate for an applicant to receive an R01 grant went down from 32% in 2000 to 17% in 2013.[5]
References
- ^ "NERC RESEARCH GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS HANDBOOK" (PDF). UK Research and Innovation. February 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
- ^ Research Councils. "Joint Electronic Submissions Handbook: Co-Investigators". Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- ^ See, for example, NSF Grant Policy Manual 210f 'Definitions: Principal Investigator'.
- ^ NIAID (NIH) 'Glossary of Funding and Policy Terms and Acronyms'
- PMID 24700835.
Sources
- Casati, A. & Genet, C. (2014). "Principal Investigators as Scientific Entrepreneurs", Journal of Technology Transfer, 39 (1): 11–32