PATENTLY TRUE: Researchers found that a high percentage of NIH grants led to patents, blowing up the “ivory tower” myth.
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ARTHRITI S AND MUSCULOSKELETAL AND SKIN DISEASES/NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
THE NATIONAL Institutes of Health has long been a treasure of undetermined worth. The largest funder of life science research in the world, the NIH spends about $30 billion annually on academic research. Scientists use NIH grants to unravel genomes, map the deep interiors of cells and forage for novel solutions for problematic diseases.
But how much of that $30 billion leads to tangible results for the taxpayer has not been well understood. That disconnect has led policymakers to question the size of the NIH budget—most recently in the form of a $1.23 billion cut proposed by the Trump administration. A new study shows that the value of NIHfunded laboratory research may be more than most people think.