On Feb. 7, the U.S. National Institutes of Health moved to dramatically reduce how much institutions can recover for research infrastructure costs.This action prompted alarm and concern from leaders of America's top universities and research centers, who warned the policy could halt critical work on cancer, Alzheimer's disease and other life-threatening conditions. For example, NIH funding helped develop 99.7 percent of 387 drugs approved by the U.S. FDA from 2010 to 2019. NIH also is a driver of jobs and economies in every U.S. state. A snapshot of these notable impacts is reported below.
February 12, 2025
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Impacts of NIH Funding on the US Economy, Jobs and Better Health
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As the crown jewel in the U.S. biomedical enterprise, NIH is the engine of the US's competitive advantage in science and technology
Sources
Congressional Research Service. National Institutes of Health (NIH) Funding: FY1996-FY2023. Updated January 31, 2023. https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R43341/45.
National Institutes of Health. Direct Economic Contributions. National Institutes of Health. https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/what-we-do/impact-nih-research/serving-society/direct-economic-contributions.
National Institutes of Health. NIH Research Highlights. National Institutes of Health. https://www.nih.gov/research-training/nih-research-highlights
United for Medical Research. Annual Economic Report. https://www.unitedformedicalresearch.org/annual-economic-report/.
Zhou EW, Jackson MJ, Ledley FD. Spending on Phased Clinical Development of Approved Drugs by the US National Institutes of Health Compared With Industry. JAMA Health Forum. 2023;4(7):e231921. Published 2023 Jul 7. doi:10.1001/jamahealthforum.2023.1921.