Top THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE NIH
The National Institutes of Health supports remarkable scientific advances that improve and save lives, curb future health care spending, help drive the economy, and enable the U.S. to maintain global leadership.
- NIH is the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world.
- In fiscal year 2024, the NIH provided nearly $37 billion in research funding to scientists in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
- Nearly 82 percent of NIH’s funding is awarded for research outside NIH (“extramural research”), resulting in nearly 50,000 competitive grants to more than 300,000 researchers at more than 2,500 universities, medical schools, and other research institutions.
- Approximately 11 percent of NIH’s funding supports research projects conducted by nearly 6,000 scientists in the agency’s own laboratories (“intramural research”).
- In fiscal year 2024, NIH research funding supported more than 407,000 jobs nationwide, and the income generated by these jobs, as well as by the purchase of research-related equipment, services, and materials, produced more than $94.58 billion in new economic activity.
- NIH operates the nation’s largest hospital dedicated to clinical research. The NIH Clinical Center brings together scientists and health care providers to translate research into treatments, offering patients from around the world cutting-edge care.
- Yet, NIH’s purchasing power is still below its 2003 level (adjusted for inflation) and increased appropriations are needed to close the gap.
You can learn more about the history of the NIH here.