An 'ambassador' network will help US physician-scientists repay their loans, say those directing the Loan Repayment Program (LRP) of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. Researchers who have benefited from the programme will help hopefuls with applications. The NIH is to launch the network as a pilot later this year. Created in 1989, the LRP gives eligible recipients up to US$35,000 per year for up to two years to help them pay educational debts. The Association of American Medical Colleges in Washington DC says the average debt for those graduating in 2009 was $156,456; the success rate for new LRP applicants in fiscal year 2009 was 36%. The 2010 application cycle closes on 15 November.