Why would race or ethnicity make a difference in a researcher’s probability of being funded by NIH? That’s the question posed by an article in this Friday’s issue of Science, which found that African-American applicants are 10% “less likely than whites to be awarded NIH research funding.”

The study controlled for education, citizenship, country of origin, training, employer characteristics, prior research awards, and publication record.

The study concludes with the possibility that “cumulative advantage” may be at work in the disparity. For example, lack of access to resources and mentorship early in the careers of African-American scientists could accumulate to significant differences between the races at a later stage.

An article in the New York Times points out that race “is not difficult to infer” when an application shows, for example, attendance at a historically black university.

NIH, which commissioned the study, states that the findings are unacceptable, and it is taking action to address potential causes.