Back to News << NIH Tightens Belt

Date: April 30, 2011
From: BioTechniques
Author: Andrew S. Wiecek

In response to the recent budget cut for fiscal year 2011, the National Institutes of Health will reduce its funding levels for research grants from its institutions and centers.

The 2011 budget agreed to by Congress and the White House nearly two weeks ago set the NIH’s budget at $30.7 billion, a 0.8% decrease from its 2010 budget.

To implement this new budget, the NIH will cut funding for research grants to 1% below 2010 award levels for all institutes and centers except the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The agency has also reduced the inflation level to 2% for recurring costs from research grants for 2012 and beyond. These new policies will not apply to projects supported by Career Awards, Small Business Research Funding Awards, and the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards.

NCI researchers will face some of the heaviest cutbacks. All NCI research grants will be reduced to 3% below 2010 award levels. The inflation level for recurring costs from these research grants for 2012 and beyond will also be reduced to 2%.

Meanwhile, researchers supported by the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Awards will receive a 2% increase at all stipend levels.

The NIH institutes and centers will continue funding grants using their individual appropriations that have not been already committed. The NIH estimates that the institutes and centers will support about 9050 competing research project grants down from 9455 competing grants funded in 2010.

Back in Washington, Congress has already begun debating the budget for fiscal year 2012, which begins on 1 Oct 2011. In his 2012 budget request, US President Barack Obama asked Congress to increase funding for NIH to $31.97 billion, over a 4% increase from the current 2011 funding level.