Absolute and Relative Declines in National Institutes of Health (NIH) Funded Basic Science Publications

Key Points

• NIH-funded publications in basic science fell from nearly 60% in 1990 to 24% in 2024.
• Despite an increase after the 1998 budget doubling, basic science publications grew more slowly than human-focused research.
• The absolute number of basic science publications decreased following the budget shocks of 2011-2013.
• These findings raise concerns about the future support for basic science by NIH funding.
• ],
• simple_explanation :
• The number of basic science research papers funded by the NIH has been dropping over the years. In the early '90s, almost 60% of NIH papers focused on basic science, but this dropped to 24% by 2024. Although there was a boost in numbers after a budget increase, basic science papers are being published less than human-focused ones. This decline raises concerns about the future support for basic science research. 📉
• ,
• } 0 }
• 0 }
• 0 }
• 0 }
• 0 }
• } 0 }
• 0 }

Abstract