EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW: THE NIH FUNDING
ECOSYSTEM
The National Institutes of Health (NIH)
serves as the largest public funder of
biomedical research in the world. Its
mission to seek fundamental knowledge
about the nature and behavior of living
systems is operationalized through a
massive funding ecosystem.
Approximately 80% of the NIH budget is
distributed through extramural grants to
more than 2,500 universities, medical
schools, and research institutions
globally.
This section outlines the organizational
structure of NIH's 27 Institutes and
Centers (ICs), the role of the Office of
Extramural Research (OER), and the
strategic importance of the RePORT
(Research Portfolio Online Reporting
Tools) framework.
KEY INDICATORS
$36.5 Billion
TOTAL EXTRAMURAL BUDGET ESTIMATE
Over 35,000 active
RESEARCH PROJECT GRANTS (RPGS)
2,500+
INSTITUTIONS SUPPORTED
160+ Countries
GLOBAL IMPACT
[FIG-2] Visual Mapping of Executive Overview
Ecosystem
NIH EXTRAMURAL PORTFOLIO 2026
SCIENTIFIC INVESTMENT ANALYSIS
Page 2 | Public Release | Authorized for Government-Wide Use
