NIH Has Spent 69 Percent of Its Grants Budget

NIH says it is on pace to spend its budget by Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year. AAMC noted in the brief that NIH picked up the spending pace in July. NIH continues to fund research grants up front—a move that helps the agency get more federal dollars out of the door, but one that critics argue leaves less money to fund new research projects. According to the AAMC brief, so far this fiscal year, NIH has allocated $1.1 billion in multiyear funding toward 1,402 research grants. NIH said in a statement to Inside Higher Ed that it’s on track to award its entire budget for fiscal year 2026.