WASHINGTON – “United for Medical Research applauds President Obama’s proposal to increase funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in FY 2014. As the centerpiece of the medical innovation ecosystem, NIH not only supports the research that leads to treatments and cures for our most devastating diseases, but drives the life sciences economic engine, annually sustaining over 400,000 jobs and nearly $60 billion in economic activity nationwide. The President’s NIH budget proposal is an important step forward in restoring the crippling $1.6 billion cut the agency received as a result of the sequester.

“We look forward to working with the Administration and Congress in making this increase in NIH funding a reality. Following a decade of decline in purchasing power, even as scientific opportunities have grown exponentially, increasing the NIH budget should be a critical national priority. In these perilous economic times, we cannot afford to underinvest in our nation’s most talented scientists.  Their work, undertaken in all 50 states, has enabled the U.S. to lead the world in life science innovation. 

“Every year, NIH research on cancer, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes alone averts up to 1.35 million deaths annually while providing hope to millions of patients and their families. Funding roughly one-third of all U.S. medical research, NIH supports more than 300,000 research positions at over 2,500 research universities and institutions in all 50 states.”

“UMR is putting Washington under the microscope and NIH in focus, urging policymakers to heed our call and repair the agency’s ailing budget,” said Carrie Wolinetz, PhD, president of UMR. “NIH’s budget has suffered from a decade of flat funding and a devastating cut from the sequester, which UMR estimates could slash more than 20,000 job and $3 billion in economic activity. The entire medical innovation ecosystem is in grave danger unless Congress takes action to protect it.”

Hosted by journalist and author, Cokie Roberts, the Rally for Medical Research is uniting the medical research community on the grounds of the Carnegie Library, with more than a dozen speakers from Hollywood, the Administration, Congress, the scientific, research and the patient advocacy community.

Among the esteemed speakers are NIH Director Francis Collins, MD, PhD; TV star and breast cancer survivor Maura Tierney; Representatives Rosa L. DeLauro (D-Conn.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.); former Representative John Edward Porter, chair of Research!America; Margaret Foti, PhD, MD, chief executive officer of the AACR; Frank McCormick, Ph.D., president of the AACR and director of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center; and Marc Tessier-Lavigne, president, The Rockefeller University.

The Rally falls two days before the President’s federal budget release and just weeks after Congress imposed a drastic $1.6 billion cut to the NIH, which translates to more than five percent in spending cuts to federally-funded medical research.

WASHINGTON – “United for Medical Research (UMR) applauds the introduction of a bipartisan amendment by Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) to increase funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) within the FY 2014 Budget Resolution, and we strongly urge the Senate to accept the amendment. We are grateful to have long-standing champions that recognize not only the extraordinary medical advancements made possible by NIH, but also the opportunities for groundbreaking discoveries and NIH’s role as an economic engine, creating jobs and supporting economic activity across the nation.

“In the past decade, NIH’s budget has already suffered a 20 percent decline in purchasing power, and the devastating impact of the March 1st sequester, which could lead to the loss of more than 20,000 jobs and $3 billion in economic activity, has already begun to be felt. Morale among the best and brightest scientific talent is already alarmingly low, even as they stand on the brink of unprecedented scientific opportunity, and we are in real danger of losing an entire generation of medical innovators. It is critical that we restore hope to millions of patients and restore our place as the world leader in cutting edge biomedical research by restoring the nearly $1.5 billion cut from NIH’s budget.

“As the Senate considers amendments to the FY2014 Budget Resolution, it is our hope that they will continue to make NIH a national priority. Moreover, UMR urges the Senate to ensure that the competitive strength of the U.S. life science industry in the global marketplace, as well as the foundation for the next generation of treatments and cures, remains intact by continuing this bipartisan effort to provide NIH with a robust and sustainable level of funding throughout the FY2014 budget and appropriations process.”

WASHINGTON – “We applaud Senator Harkin’s forthcoming amendment to provide the NIH with an increase of $211 million. A longstanding, steadfast champion of lifesaving medical research funding, Harkin’s adjustment to the budget is much-needed at this challenging time for the NIH community.

“Given the devastating impact of the five percent sequestration cuts on the medical research enterprise, which could slash more than 20,000 jobs and $3 billion in economic activity, Senator Harkin’s amendment would make strides toward repairing the ailing NIH budget. The Chairman recognizes the U.S. is on the precipice of groundbreaking discoveries that could benefit millions of patients and families and contribute to the competitive strength of U.S. health industries in the global marketplace.

“We also thank Senators Barbara Mikulski, Richard Shelby and Jerry Moran (R-KS) for their ongoing commitment to making NIH medical research a federal priority. We encourage Congress to adopt Senator Harkin’s amendment in the final continuing resolution and pass it immediately.”

February 6, 2013 – A new United for Medical Research (UMR) analysis released this morning projects the nation’s life sciences sector could lose 20,500 jobs and $3 billion in economic output if Congress fails to prevent the 5.1 percent automatic, across-the-board spending cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), slated for March 1.

Using the latest 2012 NIH data, UMR’s new analysis also calculates the impact of NIH grant funding on our nation’s economy and health and life sciences industry. The results show the magnitude of NIH’s role as an economic driver, supporting more than 402,000 jobs and $57.8 billion in economic output nationwide, in 2012 alone.

NIH funding generated the greatest number of jobs in California (59,363), Massachusetts (34,031), New York (32,249), Texas (25,408) and Pennsylvania (23,709) in 2012. And if the sequester takes effect, the number of jobs lost could total more than 1,000 jobs in each state, with the exception of California, where more than 3,000 jobs could be lost.

“UMR’s new data highlights the tremendous impact of NIH research on our country’s economic vitality, fueling hundreds of thousands of high-paying jobs across every state in the U.S.,” said Carrie Wolinetz, PhD, president of UMR. “We cannot allow budget cuts, such as those looming from the sequester, to undermine the biomedical research enterprise, causing the loss of jobs and prosperity, as well as setting us back at a time when we are on the cusp of exciting new advances in cancer, heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s and many other diseases.”

“As a researcher in the field of cardiovascular biology, I cannot stress enough that NIH grants are the lifeblood of my research aimed at ways to boost the body’s natural defenses against heart attack and stroke,” said Sean Davidson, a researcher at the University of Cincinnati. “If Congress doesn’t avert the budget cuts, thousands of researchers across the country like me could be at serious risk of losing our funding, and with it the ability to carry out our critical research.  More importantly, a whole generation of younger scientists could be without the public funding they need at a significant stage in their careers.  Congress must heed our call and act swiftly to protect the jobs and scientific discoveries that are in jeopardy if these cuts take effect.”

Click here to read the full report.

Click here to read the full letter.

Click on the image to see the full size version:

More than half (54%) say it is important that the U.S. maintain world leadership in research

September 20, 2012 – As the so-called “fiscal cliff” approaches in January, a majority of likely voters say that across-the-board cuts are not the right way to reduce the federal budget deficit, according to a new national public opinion poll commissioned by United for Medical Research and Research!America and conducted by JZ Analytics. In addition, 49% of likely voters (a plurality) agree that our nation should not scale back medical research, as the automatic cuts scheduled for 2013 would result in a drop of more than 2,300 medical research grants across the country.

“Most Americans are adept at making their own tough budget decisions and are sensible about cutting government waste,” said John Zogby, senior adviser, JZ Analytics and founder of the Zogby Poll. “But they prefer a scalpel over random chops with a meat axe, particularly for medical and health research.”

“Research conducted at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) plays a vital role in the lives of our children and in the lives of families across the country who are affected by diabetes,” said Anastasia Albanese O’Neill, an American Diabetes Association volunteer from Florida, whose daughter has type 1 diabetes and whose family participates in NIH clinical trials.  “Across-the-board cuts to federal programs could prove disastrous in the fight to Stop Diabetes® by slowing the advancement of diabetes research. Decreased funding to NIH means these programs will suffer, causing a delay in finding a cure and reducing the development of technology that could greatly improve the lives of those like my daughter.”

Poll highlights include:

• 51% say that across-the-board cuts are not the right way to reduce the deficit
• 49% agree that we should not scale back funding for medical research
• 54% say it is important that the U.S. maintain world leadership in research
• 59% doubt U.S. leadership in science and technology in 2020
• Less than half (44%) are aware that medical research takes places in all 50 states
• Nearly a third (32%) say across-the-board cuts can have unintended consequences for both the defense and non-defense budgets, and neither should be cut in this manner.

“Unfortunately, federal investment in NIH funding has declined in real terms over the last decade and is now below 2001 levels when adjusted for inflation,” said Vincent Forlenza, Chairman, CEO and President of BD (a member of United for Medical Research).  “With sequestration layered on top of this erosion in federal investment in biomedical research, top scientists running some of our nation’s leading academic research centers are not pursuing research using advanced technologies manufactured by BD and other US companies.”

“Across the board cuts for medical research will trigger unintended consequences that will impact millions of patients and companies on the verge of developing new treatments to combat disease,” said Mary Woolley, president and CEO of Research!America. “Our polling shows that likely voters are fully aware of the fiscal challenges facing the nation, but feel strongly that funding for medical research should be a priority for candidates and elected officials.”

Research commissioned earlier this year by United for Medical Research found that a 7.8% across-the-board cut to NIH funding would result in 33,000 fewer jobs across the United States, as well as a $4.5 billion decrease in economic activity.  And these estimates are conservative; the newest estimates indicate that research funding would actually be cut by 8.2%.  To see the state-by-state distribution of these job losses, visit www.unitedformedicalresearch.com/state-by-state.

“As these recent findings illustrate, funding for NIH fuels a vast medical research ecosystem that will suffer if these cuts are enacted,” said Carrie Wolinetz, president of United for Medical Research. “And when it comes to protecting American lives, a $2.6 billion cut to the NIH budget would be devastating, equivalent to eliminating what NIH spends in one year researching heart disease, diabetes, hepatitis and spinal cord injuries combined.”

The National Public Opinion Poll was conducted online in September 2012 by JZ Analytics for Research!America, with support from United for Medical Research. The poll has a sample size of 1,014 likely U.S. voters with a theoretical sampling error of +/- 3.1%. The full poll results are available online.

About United for Medical Research:

United for Medical Research represents leading research institutions, patient and health advocates and private industry, joined together to seek steady increases in federal funding for the National Institutes of Health. The coalition groups consist of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, Association of American Universities, Association of Public and Land Grant Universities, BD, Biotechnology Industry Organization, Boston University, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Life Technologies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Melanoma Research Alliance, PhRMA, Research!America, Roche Diagnostics, Stanford University, The Endocrine Society, Thermo Fisher Scientific, University of Pennsylvania, University of Southern California, Vanderbilt University, and Washington University in St. Louis. Visit www.unitedformedicalresearch.com

About Research!America

Research!America is the nation’s largest nonprofit public education and advocacy alliance working to make research to improve health a higher national priority. Founded in 1989, Research!America is supported by member organizations that represent the voices of 125 million Americans. Visit www.researchamerica.org.

For media inquiries, please email contact@unitedformedicalresearch.com

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September 14, 2012 – “A cut of 8.2 percent to the NIH budget, as presented in today’s OMB sequestration report, would jeopardize the entire medical research ecosystem, from research labs to private industry jobs to patients’ health.

“A recent UMR report calculated the impact of a 7.8 percent across-the-board cut in NIH research funding, which would result in the loss of 33,000 related jobs across the U.S. and a $4.5 billion decrease in economic activity. OMB’s report illustrates an even bleaker picture and one our nation’s health and economic wellbeing can’t afford to see take effect. Next week, our united community will continue to sound the alarm on the harmful effect of the sequester with a new report by the Information The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, taking a more in depth look at the impact of these cuts to the NIH community and new polling results from UMR and Research!America on medical research and sequestration.

“Adequate annual funding is critical to ensuring the next generation of biomedical research advancements and a cut of this magnitude, following a decade of flat funding for NIH, will devastate the biomedical research enterprise. We urge Congress to do what is best for our nation’s economy and the health of its citizens and defend the NIH from sequestration.”

Join United for Medical Research, Research!America, leaders from business and government and other special guests as we reveal new polling results on medical research and sequestration and discuss the sequester’s potential impact on the entire innovation ecosystem. Speakers will provide their unique perspectives on the impact of these deep cuts to their critical work to advance medical progress, from patients, to researchers, to employees in the life sciences sector.

WHEN: Thursday, September 20, 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM (Breakfast available at 9:00 AM)

WHERE: The National Press Club, Fourth Estate Room, 529 14th Street NW, 13th Floor

WHO:

• Brian Bilbray, U.S. Representative, R – California
• John Zogby, Pollster
• Mary Whooley, President and CEO, Research!America
• Vince Forlenza, Chief Executive Officer, BD
• Carrie Wolinetz, Ph.D., President, United for Medical Research
• Anastasia Albanese-O’Neill, RN, Volunteer, American Diabetes Association

RSVP: By Tuesday, September 18, to sbauer@gpgdc.com (space is limited)

“We are extremely disappointed that the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations subcommittee has provided flat funding for the National Institutes of Health in its FY2013 markup. Taking inflation into account, this “flat funding” level amounts to a cut for this crucial agency. Innovation and research are essential to fueling the economy, and medical research is our best weapon against the looming explosion in health care costs related to diseases like cancer, heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s. The United States cannot afford to slide backwards when it comes to research and development, particularly when budget sequestration threatens the possibility of even more disastrous cuts to the NIH.

“While NIH funds are an indispensable component of our efforts to lessen the burden of disease and its associated health care costs, the dollars also play a significant role in state and local employment. In fact, a recent report from UMR showed that the NIH extramural research in the 50 states supported nearly a half million jobs and produced $62 billion in new economic activity in 2011 alone.

“Medical research supported by the NIH, combined with investments from the private sector, has led to improved health, better quality of life and increased productivity for millions of patients and their families. We urge Congress to do what’s best for our country’s health and economic well-being and protect lifesaving funding for the NIH.”

“At today’s Senate LHHS Appropriations Committee markup, Senator Moran (R-Kan) continued to show his dedication to research funding by offering an amendment to increase the NIH FY13 budget to $32 billion. A bold champion for biomedical research, we applaud Senator Moran for his unrelenting efforts to stop the erosion of NIH funding and improve our nation’s health and economic vitality.

“When factoring in inflation, the Senate Appropriations Committee’s proposed funding level represents a decrease in dollars and endangers an agency that faces historic cuts in January 2013 through the looming budget sequestration. This would mean a 7.8 percent cut in funding for the NIH, resulting in 30,000 fewer jobs across the U.S. and a $4.5 billion decrease in economic activity, according to a recent UMR report. Congress must act immediately to prevent the largest cuts in NIH history. Our nation’s health and economic wellbeing are at stake.”

Today, the Senate LHHS Appropriations subcommittee marked up the NIH FY13 appropriations bill. The following is UMR’s reaction statement:

The U.S. Must Renew and Strengthen Its Commitment to Biomedical Research in FY2013

WASHINGTON – “Although the slight increase in the funding level for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies FY2013 Appropriations bill reflects the bipartisan prioritization of lifesaving biomedical research at a time when other programs are being cut, it falls short of the bold investment needed to support our nation’s innovation ecosystem.

“Accounting for inflation, this proposed funding level actually represents a cut to this crucial agency, an unfortunate continuance of a decade-long trend. Research and development are critical to creating new businesses and new jobs, and medical research is our best weapon against the looming explosion in health care costs related to cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and other major health threats. Our nation simply cannot afford to trivialize research efforts when it comes to innovation, particularly when we know that, going forward, the possibility exists of staggering budget cuts through sequestration.

“NIH funds are not only a vital tool in our pursuit to reduce the tragic burden of disease, but also yield essential dividends in our states and communities – from job creation and industry growth to better quality of life for millions of patients and families. In fact, a recent report from UMR detailed NIH’s role as an economic engine. In 2011 alone, the NIH supported nearly a half million jobs all across the country and produced $62 billion in new economic activity, playing a large role in bolstering American competitiveness internationally. If current funding trends continue, the United States is at serious risk of losing our place as global leader in the life sciences.

“NIH investments in medical research, complemented by those from the private sector, have led to improved health, better quality of life and improved productivity for millions of patients and their families. We urge Congress to do what’s best for our country’s health and economic well-being and protect lifesaving funding for the NIH.”

Leadership in Decline: Assessing U.S. International Competitiveness in Biomedical Researchwas published jointly by the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation (ITIF) and United for Medical Research.

The report examines a number of key indicators in the life sciences industry, finding that:

• If present trends continue, China’s financial commitment to biomedical research will be twice that of the United States’ in the next five years (and four times greater as a share of GDP);

• Growth in high-wage, high-skill jobs in the life sciences sector is flat-lining in the United States, while employment in other countries, like Germany and France, shows consistent growth;

• The United States accumulated a $136.7 billion trade deficit in pharmaceutical products over the last decade, a period when many competitors realized increasing trade surpluses;

• The United States’ share of global biopharmaceutical patents and overall industry output is shrinking, while China’s continues to expand in these areas; and

• China already has more gene sequencing capacity than the entire United States and about one-third of total global capacity.

“Over the last sixty years, funding for NIH has enabled and sustained the United States’ position as the world leader in the life sciences,” said Carrie Wolinetz, president of United for Medical Research. “But, as this new report demonstrates, maintaining our competitive edge in a globalized, 21^st century economy will require us to make a renewed and strengthened commitment to public investment in biomedical research. We cannot afford to fall behind our international competitors as they attempt to emulate our past success.”

Download the full report, Leadership in Decline: Assessing U.S. International Competitiveness in Biomedical Research.

A 7.8 percent cut in funding for research supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the percentage cut calculated by the Congressional Budget Office, would result in 33,000 fewer jobs across the U.S. and a $4.5 billion decrease in economic activity.

In reaction to the new data, Carrie Wolinetz, Ph.D., president of UMR said:

“A nearly eight percent cut would jeopardize high-quality jobs in the life sciences sector and result in a massive step backwards for biomedical research in the United States. A cut of this magnitude would be disastrous to the hopes of patients and their families and would erode the life sciences enterprise which counts on adequate annual funding to fuel the next generation of biomedical research advancements.”

Read the new projections and state by state data.

The new data examines the output and employment effects of 2011 NIH extramural research funding by state, ultimately calculating the number of jobs supported in each state by NIH funding. NIH funding generated the greatest number of jobs in California (63,196), Massachusetts (34,598), New York (33,193), Texas (25,878) and Maryland (24,557) and also supported more than 10,000 jobs in each of the following states: Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Washington, Illinois, Ohio, Florida, Michigan and Georgia.

Click here to read the full report.

Marc Casper, United for Medical Research spokesperson and the president & chief executive officer of Thermo Fisher Scientific, released the following statement in reaction to the bill’s passage:

“On behalf of the millions of patients, scientific researchers and industry leaders in the life sciences sector, we applaud the House and Senate’s passage of a $299 million increase in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget as part of the omnibus budget measure. By prioritizing our investment in the NIH, Congress is showcasing its commitment to our country’s health and economic well-being.

“NIH funding fuels the scientific discoveries that yield new treatments and cures, and leads to better quality of life for millions of patients and their families. The economic power of biomedical research is irrefutable as well, providing nearly a half million jobs nationwide and adding more than $69 billion in new economic activity in 2010 alone, according to a recent UMR report.

“Through a sustained strong investment in the life sciences, the U.S. will continue to significantly advance health care domestically and also maintain its global leadership by spearheading new fields of medical innovation.

“I commend Congress for their continued efforts and look forward to President Obama signing the bill into law.”

• On Sunday, Ohio University President Roderick McDavis wrote in The Athens News that “despite strong public support, funding from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and other historic funding sources is projected to decline. This trend must be reversed.”

• This past Monday, Tracy Jan at The Boston Globe wrote on the effects that research cuts would have on the Massachusetts economy. Susan Hockfield, president of MIT, explained that “reducing funding for research would be an enormous mistake. This is the kind of investment you have to make in good times and in bad.”

• The next day, The Columbus Dispatch featured Dr. John Barnard of Nationwide Children’s hopsital in an article on the erosion of biomedical research funding. He said that, “When funding is tight, and we can see the potential, it’s doubly frustrating that we can’t move forward. We can see the endgame here. For a lot of us, it’s tantalizingly close.”

• And today, the Post-Bulletin in Rochester, Minn. pointed to the Mayo Clinic’s efforts to prevent cuts at NIH. In the Mayo Clinic’s opinion “perspective,” Dr. Patricia Simmons wrote that “medical research should not be viewed as an expense to the Federal government, but rather it should be viewed as an investment in our nation’s health and economy.”

Over the last two decades, the human genome project has yielded fantastic new discoveries in the world of fundamental biology, but translating these breakthroughs into new drugs has been much more difficult. By encouraging experts to look holistically at the systems interacting within the human body, systems pharmacology has the potential to advance new cures much quicker than we thought was possible. The project’s leader, Mark Kirschner, described it this way:

If you’re trying to halt traffic in a city, you could say you have this one major street and you could block the traffic on this major street. Maybe the traffic might not move as fast, but it would find a way. It might be you’d be better off picking three or five major thoroughfares and blocking them each 80 percent. But for you to make that prediction, you really first need a map.

NIH director, Dr. Francis Collins, had this to say about the new initiative:

Clearly, if we’re going to do translation based upon drugs we need to understand everything we can about how they interact with cells.

You can read the full article here.

DeLauro wrote:

We know that cutting medical research will cause job losses, even as we struggle with a full-blown jobs crisis. Every research grant awarded results in seven new jobs. And every single dollar of NIH funding is estimated to result in an additional two dollars of business activity and economic impact. This means that research has a nearly twofold return on our federal investment.

But beyond dollars and cents, there’s a human component as well. She continued:

The economic losses aside, I am the survivor of a disease that kills most women inside of five years. And the prospect of seeing grant applicants having to put their remarkable, lifesaving research on hold because we cut funding is unconscionable to me.

We at UMR applaud Rep. DeLauro’s staunch support for NIH, and we encourage every member of Congress to follow her lead.

“I am proud of the contribution our federal workforce makes to our nation, making sure that Americans are healthy, safe, and informed.  During these tough economic times, we all need to share in the sacrifices but federal employees have already given much. They did not create the federal deficits now plaguing the nation and they should not be asked to shoulder an unfair burden for reducing the deficit,” said Senator Cardin. “We need to deal with our debt; there is no question about that. But we need a credible, comprehensive plan that does not balance the budget just by cutting discretionary spending. So I am pleased that the recently enacted budget agreement provides some real protections against a further erosion of the compensation for federal workers.”

The full press release can be found here.

Senator Cardin is also one of UMR’s Profiles of Promise Leaders, a group of lawmakers we have chosen to highlight as true champions of the medical research cause. Check out the official Profiles of Promise website to learn more about these legislators and their valiant support for NIH funding.

Today, the Washington Post profiled Dr. Gahl, giving us a unique window into his world:

The program is designed to go beyond the organ-centered focus of most medical specialties, to get a more holistic view. Gahl and his 30-member staff bring together scientists from all over the NIH, the country’s top medical research institute. Every patient is seen for free, a luxury of the government that is rare in private research settings. Insurance and drug companies “don’t have a focus that’s uninfluenced by profit” when it comes to diseases that afflict just 200,000 patients a year, Gahl said.

You can find the full article here, and learn more about the Undiagnosed Diseases Program here.

Image: Amanda Voisard/THE WASHINGTON POST

If Congress doesn’t approve $1.5 trillion in savings by Christmas, a broad swath of federal programs will be automatically slashed, including the National Institutes of Health…

A 7.9 percent cut for NIH would be the largest in the agency’s history, amounting to about a $2.5 billion reduction in 2013. By comparison, the agency was cut $317 million this year.

There may be some light at the end of the tunnel, however. Lopatto continues:

[T]he NIH could draw on the bipartisan support it long has enjoyed in Congress. A largely Republican- controlled Congress about doubled the agency’s budget from 1998 to 2003.

The threat of deep cuts to medical research may help lawmakers forge an agreement that avoids the automatic reduction, said former Representative James Walsh, a New York Republican.

“We all had constituents who have cancer and heart disease and childhood diabetes — and they are very effective advocates,” he said.

[F]unding for NIH has experienced little fiscal growth over the last eight years, in spite of the American public’s strong support of biomedical research. The lack of a coherent government strategy for evaluating the impact of federal programs and setting R&D funding priorities across the federal government, combined with sometimes dramatic “feast to famine” swings in funding, particularly for NIH, should raise the question of whether the American people are getting their money’s worth from federally funded R&D. Many programs and projects start and stop—sometimes abruptly—with the availability of government-funded grants. Such inconsistencies waste money and interrupt careers.

Also from the report, which you can download here, a chart showing that the US lags behind Israel, Sweden, Japan, and South Korea in terms of R&D funding as a percentage of GDP: