Method to Extend Research in Time (MERIT) Award given to Dr. Robert A. Zucker
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| Robert Zucker, Ph.D. |
On March 28th, Dr. Robert Zucker, Director of the Addiction Research Center and Substance Abuse Section in the Department of Psychiatry and Professor of Psychology in the Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology received a MERIT award from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) to extend his now 21 year long prospective study on the development of substance use disorders and other health risks for another five years.
The MERIT (Method to Extend Research in Time (MERIT) Award program was initiated by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1987 to extend funding to experienced researchers who have demonstrated superior competence and outstanding productivity in research endeavors. MERIT Awards provide long-term support to investigators with impressive records of scientific achievement in research areas of special importance or promise. Less than 5 percent of NIH-funded investigators are selected to receive MERIT Awards. The principal feature of the program is the opportunity for such investigators to gain up to ten years of grant support. The MERIT Awards are intended to provide such investigators with long-term, stable support to foster their continued creativity and spare them some of the administrative burdens associated with frequent preparation and submission of research grant applications.
The current award to Dr. Zucker, for $5,582,183, provided the second five years of funding that the award insures. Investigators may not apply for a MERIT award. Rather, program staff and/or Council members of the relevant NIH institute nominate candidates for the award, which is in turn discussed and voted upon by the full Council.