Doubling the Budget of the National Institutes of Health

The President's budget includes a total of $27.3 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This includes the final installment of $3.9 billion that will complete the goal of doubling the NIH budget. With this historic increase, NIH will be able to further its efforts to support research to improve the prevention, detection and treatment of the diseases that affect the lives of all Americans.

A part of the increase, $1.75 billion, will also finance important research needed for defense against bioterrorism, including genomic sequencing of dangerous pathogens, development of zebra chip technology, development of an improved anthrax vaccine, and laboratory and research facilities construction and upgrades related to bioterrorism. The budget also includes $5.5 billion for NIH-wide cancer research.