Brief History of .
NIH Funding: Fact SheetFY1994-FY2016
Judith A. Johnson
Specialist in Biomedical Policy
December 23, 2013March 6, 2015
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
R43341
Brief History of NIH Funding: Fact Sheet
Contents
Brief History of NIH Funding ...
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Contents
NIH Funding: FY1994-FY2016 ...................................................................................................... 1
Figures
Figure 1. National Institutes of Health (NIH) AppropriationsFunding, FY1994-FY2014 request FY2016 ...................................... 3
Tables
Table 1. NIH Appropriations, FY1994 – FY2014 RequestFunding, FY1994–FY2016 ........................................................................................ 4
Contacts
Author Contact Information............................................................................................................. 5
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Brief History of NIH Funding: Fact Sheet
Brief History of NIH FundingNIH Funding: FY1994-FY2016
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NIH Funding: FY1994-FY2016
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary federal agency charged with conducting
and supporting biomedical and behavioral research. Its activities cover a wide range of basic,
clinical, and translational research, focused on particular diseases, areas of human health and
development, or more fundamental aspects of biomedical research. Its mission also includes
research training and health information collection and dissemination.1 About 83% of the NIH
budget funds extramural research through grants, contracts, and other awards.2 This funding
supports research performed by more than 300,000 non-federal scientists and technical personnel
who work at more than 2,500 universities, hospitals, medical schools, and other research
institutions around the country and abroad.3 About 11% of the agency’s budget supports intramural
intramural research performed by NIH scientists and non-employee trainees in the NIH
laboratories and
Clinical Center. The; the remaining 6% funds research management, support, and facilities’ needs.
Almost all of NIH’s funding is provided in the annual Departments of Labor, Health and Human
Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations act. In addition to its regular annual
appropriations, NIH received a total of $10.4 billion in supplemental FY2009 appropriations in
the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 (P.L. 111-5). ARRA funds were
made available for obligation for two years; $4.95 billion was obligated in FY2009, and $5.45
billion in FY2010.3
Table 1 outlines NIH program level funding over the past 20
facilities’ needs.4
Funding for NIH comes primarily from the annual Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS),
Education and Related Agencies appropriations bill, with an additional amount for Superfundrelated activities from the Interior/Environment appropriations bill. Those two bills provide NIH’s
discretionary budget authority.5 In addition, NIH receives mandatory funding of $150 million
annually that is provided in the Public Health Service (PHS) Act for a special program on type 1
diabetes research and funding from a PHS Act transfer. The total funding available for NIH
activities, taking account of add-ons and transfers, is known as the NIH program level.
Table 1 outlines NIH program level funding over the past 23 years. Between FY1994 and
FY1998, funding for NIH grew modestly from $11.0 billion to $13.7 billion. in nominal terms.
Over the next five
years, Congress almost doubled the NIH budget to $27.12 billion in FY2003. In each of these
these years, the agency received annual funding increases of 14% to 16%. Since FY2003,
however,
NIH funding has increased more gradually in nominal dollars. Funding peaked in
FY2010 before declining in
FY2011, and again in FY2013. FY2011 through FY2013 with small increases in subsequent years.6
These funding trends are illustrated in Figure 1 in both current and constant (i.e., inflationadjusted) 20032012 dollars. The top half of Figure 1 illustrates NIH funding in current dollars over
the 20-year period of FY1994 through FY2014 (budget request). Increases during the postdoubling period have been between about 1% and 3% each year, with three exceptions(also
called nominal dollars) over the period of FY1994 through FY2016. Increases since FY2003 have
1
For further information on NIH, see CRS Report R41705, The National Institutes of Health (NIH): Background and
Congressional Issues, by Judith A. Johnson.
2
Department of Health and Human Services, Fiscal Year 2016 Budget in Brief, Washington, DC, February 2, 2015, p.
49, http://www.hhs.gov/budget/fy2016/fy-2016-budget-in-brief.pdf.
3
Ibid.
4
Ibid.
5
NIH received a total of $10.4 billion in supplemental, one-time FY2009 appropriations in the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 (P.L. 111-5). ARRA funds were made available for obligation for two years; $4.95
billion was obligated in FY2009, and $5.45 billion in FY2010. CRS Report R43304, Public Health Service Agencies:
Overview and Funding, coordinated by C. Stephen Redhead.
6
Amounts shown in Table 1 include appropriations for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria (FY2002FY2011) that were subject to transfer-out. As of FY2012, NIH no longer receives appropriations for the National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) identifying resources for the Global Fund; this responsibility was
transferred to another federal agency. For further details on the amounts transferred out by fiscal year, see the
“Supplemental Appropriation Data Table” for “History of Congressional Appropriations, Fiscal Years 2000-2012” at
http://officeofbudget.od.nih.gov/approp_hist.html.
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been more modest (between about 1% and 3% each year), and, in some years, funding for the
agency decreased in nominal dollars. For instance:
•
the FY2006 total was 0.1% lower than the previous year, the first time that the
NIH appropriation had decreased since FY1970;
•
the FY2011 total, provided under a full-year continuing resolution, was 1.0%
in the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011
(P.L. 112-10), was 1.0% below the previous year; and
•
the FY2013 total, provided in the Consolidated and Further Continuing
Appropriations Act, 2013 (P.L. 113-6), was reduced by the March 2013
sequestration and was 5% lower than the prior year.4
1
For further information on NIH, see CRS Report R43304, Public Health Service Agencies: Overview and Funding,
coordinated by Amalia K. Corby-Edwards and C. Stephen Redhead.
2
Ibid.
3
Ibid.
4
Program level funding as shown in Figure 1 excludes transfers among agencies of the Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS). In April 2013 such a transfer further reduced NIH funding by $173 million, for a final FY2013
operating level of $29.151 billion.
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Brief History of NIH Funding: Fact Sheet
The lower half of Figure 1 portrays NIH funding adjusted for inflation (in constant 2003 dollars)
using the Biomedical Research and Development Price Index (BRDPI).5 It shows that the
purchasing power of NIH funding (non-ARRA) peaked in FY2003 (the last year of the five-year
doubling period) and has steadily declined in the years since. By FY2008, funding had dropped
below the FY2002 level. In constant 2003 dollars, FY2013 funding was 22% lower than the
FY2003 level.
5
The index is developed each year for NIH by the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the Department of Commerce. It
reflects the increase in prices of the resources needed to conduct biomedical research, including personnel services,
supplies, and equipment. It indicates how much the NIH budget must change to maintain purchasing power. See “NIH
Price Indexes,” at http://officeofbudget.od.nih.gov/gbiPriceIndexes.html.
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Brief History of NIH Funding: Fact Sheet
Figure 1. National Institutes of Health (NIH) Appropriations,
FY1994-FY2014 request
Program Level Funding in Current and Constant (2003) Dollars
Sources: Adapted by CRS from NIH Budget Office, Appropriations History by Institute/Center (1938 to
Present), at http://officeofbudget.od.nih.gov/approp_hist.html, and budget justification documents. Inflation
adjustment reflects the Biomedical Research and Development Price Index (BRDPI), updated Jan. 15, 2013,
http://officeofbudget.od.nih.gov/gbiPriceIndexes.html.
Notes: Definition of NIH Program Level may differ from that in other CRS reports and congressional
appropriations committee reports. Program Level includes all budget authority except appropriations transferred
to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria (FY2002-FY2011). Also excludes other transfers to and from
HHS accounts in some years. ARRA supplementary funding is from the American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act of 2009, P.L. 111-5.
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Brief History of NIH Funding: Fact Sheet
Table 1. NIH Appropriations, FY1994 – FY2014 Request
Program Level Funding in Current and Constant (2003) Dollars (billions)
Program
Level
Constant ’03 $
Fiscal Year
Program
Level
1994
$10.956
1995
11.300
3.1%
14.562
-0.3%
1996
11.928
5.6%
14.988
2.9%
1997
12.741
6.8%
15.576
3.9%
1998
13.675
7.3%
16.170
3.8%
1999
15.629
14.3%
17.914
10.8%
2000
17.841
14.1%
19.714
10.0%
2001
20.459
14.7%
21.879
11.0%
2002
23.296
13.9%
24.115
10.2%
2003
27.067
16.2%
27.067
12.2%
2004
27.888
3.0%
26.886
-.07%
-0.7%
2005
28.495
2.2%
26.443
-1.6%
-2.3%
2006
28.461
-0.1%
25.243
-4.5%
-6.7%
2007
29.030
2.0%
24.806
-1.7%
-8.4%
2008
29.312
1.0%
23.927
-3.5%
-11.6%
2009
30.245
3.2%
23.987
0.2%
-11.4%
2010
30.938
2.3%
23.825
-0.7%
-12.0%
2011
30.619
-1.0%
22.942
-3.7%
-15.2%
2012
30.861
0.8%
22.795
-0.6%
-15.8%
2013
29.316
-5.0%
21.136
-7.3%
-21.9%
2014 (request)
31.323
6.8%
21.991
4.0%
-18.8%
% Change
% Change
% Loss
below ‘03
$14.608
NIH Appropriations including ARRA Supplement
2009
35.119
27.915
2010
36.384
28.019
Source: Adapted by CRS from NIH Budget Office, Appropriations History by Institute/Center (1938 to
Present), at http://officeofbudget.od.nih.gov/approp_hist.html, and budget justification documents. Inflation
adjustment reflects the Biomedical Research and Development Price Index (BRDPI), updated January 15, 2013,
http://officeofbudget.od.nih.gov/gbiPriceIndexes.html.
Notes: Definition of NIH Program Level may differ from that in other CRS reports and congressional
appropriations committee reports. Program Level includes all budget authority, excluding appropriations
transfers to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria (FY2002-FY2011). Also excludes other transfers to
and from HHS accounts in some years. ARRA supplementary funding is from the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009, P.L. 111-5.
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Brief History of NIH Funding: Fact Sheet
Author Contact Information
Judith A. Johnson
Specialist in Biomedical Policy
jajohnson@crs.loc.gov, 7-7077a transfer of funding under the authority of the HHS Secretary
($1.553 billion and $173 million respectively), resulting in a budget that was
5.5% lower than the prior year.7
The NIH program level in FY2015 is $30.311 billion.8 P.L. 113-235, the Consolidated and Further
Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015, provides $30.084 billion for NIH in Division G (the
Labor/HHS and Education appropriations act): $29.369 billion for the NIH institutes and centers
plus $715 million from a Public Health Service (PHS) Act transfer.9 Congress directed the entire
$715 million to one NIH institute, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS),
offsetting the more than $700 million reduction in discretionary budget authority for NIGMS in
P.L. 113-235 compared with its FY2014 funding level. NIH received about $77 million for
Superfund-related research from Division F of P.L. 113-235.10 In addition, NIH receives
mandatory funding of $150 million annually that is provided in the PHS Act for a special program
on type 1 diabetes research.11
The President’s FY2016 budget requests an NIH program level total of $31.311 billion, an
increase of $1 billion (3.3%) over the FY2015 level of $30.311 billion. The FY2016 program
level request for NIH includes $150 million in mandatory funding for research on type 1 diabetes,
which is proposed for reauthorization in FY2016. The FY2016 program level amount also
proposes $847 million in funding transferred to NIH by the PHS Act transfer.
The lower half of Figure 1 portrays NIH funding adjusted for inflation (in constant 2012 dollars)
using the Biomedical Research and Development Price Index (BRDPI).12 It shows that the
7
The FY2012 amount of $30.861 billion appears to be 0.2% below the FY2011 amount of $30.916 billion. However,
the FY2011 amount includes $297.3 million that was subject to transfer-out for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB,
and Malaria.
8
This amount does not include $238,000,000 for the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for
research on Ebola that was provided in P.L. 113-235, Title VI of Division G; for more information, see CRS Report
R43807, FY2015 Budget Requests to Counter Ebola and the Islamic State (IS), coordinated by Susan B. Epstein.
9
NIH and other HHS agencies and programs authorized under the PHS Act are subject to a budget assessment called
the PHS Program Evaluation Set-Aside, also called the evaluation tap. Section 241 of the PHS Act (42 U.S.C. §238j)
authorizes the Secretary of HHS to use a portion of eligible appropriations to study the effectiveness of federal health
programs and to identify improvements.
10
Division F of P.L. 113-235 is the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations
Act, 2015.
11
Mandatory funds for type 1 diabetes research under PHS Act §330B, provided most recently by P.L. 112-240 in
FY2014 and P.L. 113-93 in FY2015.
12
The index is developed each year for NIH by the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the Department of Commerce. It
reflects the increase in prices of the resources needed to conduct biomedical research, including personnel services,
supplies, and equipment. It indicates how much the NIH budget must change to maintain purchasing power. See “NIH
(continued...)
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purchasing power of NIH funding (non-ARRA) peaked in FY2003 (the last year of the five-year
doubling period) and has steadily declined in the years since. In constant 2012 dollars, FY2015
funding is 22% lower than the FY2003 level.
Figure 1. National Institutes of Health (NIH) Funding, FY1994-FY2016
Program Level Funding in Current and Constant (2012) Dollars
Sources: NIH Budget Office, Appropriations History by Institute/Center (1938 to Present), at
http://officeofbudget.od.nih.gov/approp_hist.html, and Department of Health and Human Services, Fiscal Year
2016 Budget in Brief, Washington, DC, February 2, 2015, p. 44, http://www.hhs.gov/budget/fy2016/fy-2016-
(...continued)
Price Indexes,” at http://officeofbudget.od.nih.gov/gbiPriceIndexes.html.
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budget-in-brief.pdf. Inflation adjustment reflects the Biomedical Research and Development Price Index (BRDPI),
updated February 2, 2015, http://officeofbudget.od.nih.gov/gbiPriceIndexes.html.
Notes: Program level includes all budget authority including appropriations for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS,
TB, and Malaria (FY2002-FY2011) that were subject to transfer-out. As of FY2012, NIH no longer receives
appropriations for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) identifying resources for the
Global Fund; this responsibility was transferred to another federal agency. Excludes other transferred amounts
to and from HHS accounts, such as the PHS Act transfer (evaluation tap). ARRA supplementary funding is from
the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, P.L. 111-5. FY2015 amount does not include
$238,000,000 for the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for research on Ebola that
was provided in P.L. 113-235, Title VI of Division G.
Table 1. NIH Funding, FY1994–FY2016
Program Level Funding in Current and Constant (2012) Dollars (billions)
Program
Level
Constant ’12 $
Fiscal Year
Program
Level
1994
$10.956
1995
11.300
3.1%
19.699
-0.3%
1996
11.928
5.6%
20.275
2.9%
1997
12.741
6.8%
21.072
3.9%
1998
13.675
7.3%
21.875
3.8%
1999
15.629
14.3%
24.234
10.8%
2000
17.841
14.1%
26.669
10.0%
2001
20.459
14.7%
29.598
11.0%
2002
23.321
14.0%
32.658
10.3%
2003
27.167
16.5%
36.751
12.5%
2004
28.037
3.2%
36.565
-0.5%
-0.5%
2005
28.594
2.0%
35.896
-1.8%
-2.3%
2006
28.560
-0.1%
34.267
-4.5%
-6.8%
2007
29.179
2.2%
33.729
-1.6%
-8.2%
2008
29.607
1.5%
32.694
-3.1%
-11.0%
2009
30.545
3.2%
32.771
0.2%
-10.8%
2010
31.238
2.3%
32.543
-0.7%
-11.4%
2011
30.916
-1.0%
31.312
-3.8%
-14.8%
2012
30.861
-0.2%
30.861
-1.4%
-16.0%
2013
29.151
-5.5%
28.615
-7.3%
-22.1%
2014
30.151
3.4%
29.007
1.4%
-21.1%
2015
30.311
0.5%
28.532
-1.6%
-22.4%
2016
31.311
3.3%
28.779
0.9%
-21.7%
% Change
% Change
% Loss
below ‘03
$19.762
NIH Funding including ARRA Supplement
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35.499
38.086
2010
36.684
38.217
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Source: NIH Budget Office, Appropriations History by Institute/Center (1938 to Present), at
http://officeofbudget.od.nih.gov/approp_hist.html, and Department of Health and Human Services, Fiscal Year
2016 Budget in Brief, Washington, DC, February 2, 2015, p. 44, http://www.hhs.gov/budget/fy2016/fy-2016budget-in-brief.pdf. Inflation adjustment reflects the Biomedical Research and Development Price Index (BRDPI),
updated February 2, 2015, http://officeofbudget.od.nih.gov/gbiPriceIndexes.html.
Notes: Amounts in table may differ from actuals in many cases. By convention, budget tables, such as Table 1
do not subtract the amount of transfers from the agencies’ funding. Program Level includes all budget authority,
including appropriations for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria (FY2002-FY2011) that were subject
to transfer-out. As of FY2012, NIH no longer receives appropriations for the National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases (NIAID) identifying resources for the Global Fund; this responsibility was transferred to
another federal agency. Excludes other transferred amounts to and from HHS accounts, such as the PHS Act
transfer (evaluation tap). ARRA supplementary funding is from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of
2009, P.L. 111-5. FY2015 amount does not include $238,000,000 for the National Institute for Allergy and
Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for research on Ebola that was provided in P.L. 113-235, Title VI of Division G.
Author Contact Information
Judith A. Johnson
Specialist in Biomedical Policy
jajohnson@crs.loc.gov, 7-7077
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