Institutions lament squeeze on federal research funds

Research institutions are lining up to protest stalled federal funding for biomedical research. Dr. Edward D. Miller, the head of Johns Hopkins Medical, issued a stern warning to lawmakers that a failure to bump federal research funding at the National Institutes of Health could force a frustrating halt to important research. "The world's premier biomedical research engine is at risk," he said in a statement. A stagnant source of funds has left eight out of 10 research grant applications without funds, says Dr. Miller, while the National Cancer Institute says it can only fund about one in 10 applications. Johns Hopkins has a lot to lose in the current funding environment. The university's researchers traditionally garner more federal funds than any other institution in the country. Last year that amounted to $1.28 billion in federal funds. The university joined a lineup of institutions which produced "Within Our Grasp--Or Slipping Away? Assuring a New Era of Scientific and Medical Progress." The report outlines the advances made possible when NIH funding was doubled between 1998 and 2003.

- read the report from the Baltimore Business Journal

ALSO: There's a lot at stake for states like Florida, which has invested more than $850 million in a trio of new research institutions. Editorial

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