Biomedical research advocates are planning a major Congressional lobbying campaign to press for future budget increases for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) after the agency's Fiscal 2006 funding was cut for the first time in more than three decades. NIH ended up with $28.6 billion for the current fiscal year that began Oct. 1, 2005, close to the Administration's request but a reduction of 0.1% from the previous year. Scientists could feel the impact in reduced funding and success rates of grant applications, budget analysts say.
"It's the first time in at least 30 years that there's actually been a cut to NIH's budget," said Jon Retzlaff, legislative relations director for the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB). "It sends a devastating message for anyone planning to get funding this year," said Dave Moore, associate vice president for governmental relations at the Association of American Medical Colleges ...
