The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary federal agency that funds important biomedical and behavioral research in this country. According to the Congressional Research Service, the NIH’s budget (through grants) supports 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. This includes our very own UC Riverside.
The work of these researchers is critical to our nation’s economy and public health. However, in recent years we’ve slashed the NIH’s budget, which is now 22% lower than it was in 2003 when adjusted for inflation.
H/t Jeffrey Young of the Huffington Post
Source: Congressional Research Service