Wednesday, February 13, 2008
President Bush’s $3.1 trillion budget proposal could result in less money for biomedical research at the University of Kansas.
Bush’s 2009 budget, released on Feb. 4, included flatlined funding for the National Institutes of Health for the fifth time since 2005.
The NIH, the primary federal agency for medical research, is a major supplier of grant money for biomedical research at the University and the University Medical Center.
Bush’s proposed NIH funding, which has been flat since 2005, has caused diminished financial support for the NIH because it has not kept up with inflation, according to the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
When funding for an organization is flatlined, it receives the same amount of money as the previous year, without compensating for inflation.
Paul Terranova, vice chancellor for research at the medical center, said the decreased funding had caused a reduction in the dollar amount of individual NIH research grants awarded to University researchers.
Overall funding for biomedical research has not declined for the University.
Keith Yehle, director of federal relations, said the tight NIH budget would mean greater competition among researchers for grants.
“We’re wanting the biggest pot of federal research,” Yehle said. “Our community will push for that.”
Kevin Boatright, director of research communications, said misconceptions about the NIH could have contributed to the decrease in funding.
“In some circles, there is a sense that the NIH has done so well they don’t need to do anymore, which we of course would disagree with,” he said.
National organizations such as the American Heart Association, Alzheimer’s Association and the HIV Medicine Association have also criticized the president’s plan to reduce biomedical funding.
The status of proposed funding for the NIH contrasts with that for physical science agencies like the National Science Foundation, which received a 16 percent increase.
Boatright said physical sciences and the NSF received a funding boost because legislators have become concerned about the competitiveness of the United States in the world market.
“Other countries have invested more in science, technology, engineering and math,” he said. “I think what you’re seeing is a reflection of that becoming a higher priority.”
Boatright also said University research related to alternative energy could benefit from the NSF funding boost.
The Transportation Research Institute, Biodiesel Initiative and Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis, a University engineering research center, could be among those positively affected.
Yehle said Bush’s budget proposal is subject to change until passed by Congress later this year. He said University officials would continue to lobby for increased NIH funding.
— Edited by Daniel Reyes
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