Biomedical postdoctoral researchers supported by US National Institutes of Health (NIH) fellowships should earn US$42,000 in their first year, with 4–6% increases in each of years two to seven, says an NIH committee report. Released on 14 June and commissioned by NIH director Francis Collins, the report offers recommendations to ease long training periods and overproduction of PhDs. It advises that NIH-supported postdocs receive the same benefits as employed colleagues, including health insurance, retirement plans and paid time off; calls to double the number of Early Independence awards, which speed postgraduates into careers and skip excessive postdoctoral training; and recommends training grants to prepare graduate students for varied career paths.