Modest Funding Increases “a Step in the Right Direction” for NIH, NCI

The FY2026 appropriations bill signed into law includes $47.22 billion for the NIH, a $216 million increase over FY2025, and $7.4 billion for the NCI, a $128 million boost. This is a reverse from the steep cuts that were proposed by the White House, but the modest increases do not keep pace with biomedical inflation. In addition, the proposed 15% on indirect costs was blocked, while forward funding provisions that pay a multiyear grant all at once are included.