Over $10 Billion to Fund National Institutes of Health
Friday, May 8th, 2009President Barack Obama has proposed nearly a 30% increase in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). $10.4 billion of the $787 billion stimulus fund can find its way to different medical research scientists across the country.
The prospect of this increase in spending has members of the medical research community scrambling to apply for to the NIH for funding for everything from new facilities to increased man power. The NIH is the largest provider of grant money for colleges, universities, and medical research companies in the U.S.
The University of Chicago alone has filed nearly 200 individual applications for increased research funding. Martha O’Connel, a university spokesperson said that the amount requested by the university is almost five times their yearly submission. The university is requesting funds that would be used to study lung tumors, breast cancer, and mesothelioma.
Other organizations are seeking funding to increase research ways to safely test HIV vaccines before they are given to humans.
This increase in spending for the NIH keeps in line with President Obama’s desire for health reform. In the past he has announced to seek out a cure for cancer in our time and he officially declared April as National Cancer Control Month. If this trend continues, funding for cancer cures and prevention may continue to see an increase.
For more information on mesothelioma and treatment research, please visit Mesothelioma Help.net.
