What’s the Proposed 5.4% NIH Budget 2019 Increase & How Can You Benefit?

The bigger the pie, the larger the slices that go around. An increase to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget means more funding for everyone relying on these grants and awards.

On June 26, 2018, a US Senate appropriations subcommittee approved a spending bill that calls for the NIH to receive an additional $2 billion, which is a 5.4 percent increase to $39.1 billion. The increase would kick in during the 2019 fiscal year, starting October 1.  While this Act needs to be approved by both sides of Congress and also receive Executive Approval.

Life sciences companies have ample opportunity to work with this increase, especially as the bill calls for specific spending on various areas of research, including:

• $500 million for research into opioid addiction and alternatives, pain management, and addiction treatment.
• $12.6 million for the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act.
• $29 million increase to the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies Initiative.
• $11.2 million increase for the Institutional Development Award.
• $86 million increase to the All of Us precision medicine study.
• $37 million increase for the National Strategy to Combat Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria.
• $17.3 million increase in the Clinical and Translational Science Award.
• $20 million increase to research on the universal flu vaccine.

Life sciences companies working with NIH programming may already be familiar with NIH funding allotments, especially after a budget increase in March 2018. However, this funding isn’t easily there for the taking. Without a good plan for securing it, even the fact that there’s more money to go around doesn’t mean that every life sciences company will succeed.

NIH funding works to address disease and health problems that impact Americans at a high rate, so these grants, awards, and studies are just as important to the population of Americans as they are to the researchers and scientists doing the work to turn that funding into impactful change. This funding also works to keep scientists employed and progress research, which has long-term, powerful impacts on research outcomes.

Securing the funding is the first step, and it’s something Grant Engine does well. Our strategy is well-honed.  We start with a grant thesis and generate multiple drafts for your review, conduct our proprietary External Review process and then assemble and submit the cohesive final package.

Please feel free to contact Grant Engine to answer any further questions you may have. Please call (650) 937-9164, or email greatscience@grantengine.com.