tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000891.post7182948303787523356..comments2024-02-21T19:56:57.057-08:00Comments on California Stem Cell Report: High Salary Stories Hound State Stem Cell AgencyDavid Jensenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000891.post-79727810574422107132011-09-14T21:43:27.601-07:002011-09-14T21:43:27.601-07:00Regarding the $200,000 salary limit on CIRM grant ...Regarding the $200,000 salary limit on CIRM grant recipients mentioned in an anonymous comment this morning, we asked CIRM to clarify the matter. <br /><br />James Harrison, outside counsel to the board, responded:<br />"The actual salary is set, and paid for, by the institution and is not regulated by CIRM. CIRM's rules limit the amount of CIRM funds that the institution can use to cover those costs. <br /><br />Investigator compensation chargeable to a CIRM grant is capped at that individual's percent effort on the grant multiplied by that person's salary. If the salary is more than $207,000, the amount above that is not included in the calculation. For example, if an investigator devotes 10% effort to a CIRM award, with a base salary of $100,000 per year, CIRM's salary support would be limited to $10,000 per year. If the base salary were $300,000, CIRM's salary support would be limited to $20,700 per year (i.e., 10% of $207,000).<br /><br />"My understanding is that NIH has the same rule." <br /><br />Here is the text of CIRM's policy. <br /><br />"Salaries for PIs and PDs and Key Personnel shall not exceed an annual rate of $207,000. CIRM will adjust this limitation biennially beginning July 1,2010 as follows: (a) the base dollar amount of $207,000 shall be increased or <br />decreased by the cumulative percentage change in the annual average California Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers from 2008 to the end of the calendar year immediately preceding the year in which the adjustment will take effect and (b) the dollar amount obtained by Application of the calculation set forth in subdivision (a) shall be rounded to the nearest $1,000. The resulting figure shall be the adjusted maximum annual salary in effect until June 30 of the next even-numbered year. Biennial adjustments will be posted at www.cirm.ca.gov."<br /><br />The text above can be found on page 27 at http://www.cirm.ca.gov/files/Regulations/NPGAP_042809b.pdfDavid Jensenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000891.post-75131211804735075472011-09-14T09:32:48.165-07:002011-09-14T09:32:48.165-07:00The salaries get everyone angry, including the sci...The salaries get everyone angry, including the scientists who are doing the research that will ultimately save or sink CIRM. <br /><br />If I were Alan, I would say, gosh, I see that this is a problem, and I am voluntarily reducing my salary to match the maximum salary that CIRM pays its grantees: $200,000. This is still a bit more than the highest NIH salary, but reasonable for a senior scientist.<br /><br />Alan, you can live on 200K. We do.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000891.post-55300891492030853962011-09-08T21:58:00.253-07:002011-09-08T21:58:00.253-07:00Re the comment by Jim Fossett on the continuing sa...Re the comment by Jim Fossett on the continuing saga of media coverage of high salaries at CIRM, another item surfaced today. This one on American Spectator by a former Reagan staffer. The point about all these stories -- fair, inaccurate or whatever they may be -- is that CIRM is going to have to learn to deal with them in a fashion that minimizes their impact. Here is a link to the Spectator story. http://spectator.org/archives/2011/09/08/when-gold-turns-to-drossDavid Jensenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00077329461962729362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10000891.post-60298189026470942922011-09-07T09:46:47.616-07:002011-09-07T09:46:47.616-07:00Sigh--here you go again. The Soltis piece is bette...Sigh--here you go again. The Soltis piece is better than the average in that it notes that many of the highest salaries actually aren't being paid by taxpayers. This makes it a well done cheap shot, but a cheap shot nonetheless. Couldn't he find anybody to comment on this situation besides a couple of right wing foundations? As a matter of arithmetic, CIRM's average pay is heavily influenced by the large amounts paid to Thomas and Torres. My guess is that if you took those out, CIRM's average pay would be significantly lower--not everybody at CIRM makes salaries at that level. My memory of the Little Hoover Commission report is that CIRM, if anything, is understaffed and relatively lean administratively. A comparison to a body like NIH would be instructive--while Thomas makes more than Francis Collins, the folks who actually run the review processes and hand out the money may be both more numerous and better paid than the worker bees at CIRM.Jim Fossettnoreply@blogger.com