National Institutes of Health
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 Aerial photo of the NIH Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center in Bethesda, Maryland | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | August 1887 |
Preceding agency |
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| Headquarters | |
| Employees | 18,478 (2021), |
| Annual budget | $45 billion (2022) |
Agency executives |
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Parent agency | Department of Health & Human Services |
Child agencies | |
| Website | nih.gov |
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States federal government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Many NIH facilities are located in Bethesda, Maryland, and other nearby suburbs of the Washington metropolitan area, with other primary facilities in Research Triangle Park in North Carolina and smaller satellite facilities located around the United States.
The NIH conducts its scientific research through the NIH Intramural Research Program (IRP) and provides significant biomedical research funding to non-NIH research facilities through its Extramural Research Program. As of 2013[update], the IRP had 1,200 principal investigators and more than 4,000 postdoctoral fellows in basic, translational, and clinical research, being the largest biomedical research institution in the world,[1] while, as of 2003, the extramural arm provided 28% of biomedical research funding spent annually in the U.S., or about US$26.4 billion.[2] Basic research by the NIH contributed to every new drug approved by the Federal Drug Administration over the period 2010–2016.[3] In early 2025, the Trump administration froze key NIH operations, and by January 2026 about 2,600 grants totaling $1.4 billion remained suspended, though some were reinstated due to court orders.[4][5]
The NIH is responsible for many scientific accomplishments, including the discovery of fluoride to prevent tooth decay, the use of lithium to manage bipolar disorder, and the creation of vaccines against hepatitis, Haemophilus influenzae (HIB), and human papillomavirus (HPV). In 2012, the NIH comprised 27 separate institutes and centers of different biomedical disciplines.[6]
In 2019, the NIH was ranked number two in the world, behind Harvard University, for biomedical sciences in the Nature Index, which measured the largest contributors to papers published in a subset of leading journals from 2015 to 2018.[7][8]
History
[edit]Origins
[edit]
In 1887, a laboratory for the study of bacteria, the Hygienic Laboratory, was established within the Marine Hospital Service, which at the time was expanding its functions beyond the system of Marine Hospitals into quarantine and research programs. It was initially located at the New York Marine Hospital on Staten Island.[10][11][12] In 1891, it moved to the top floor of the Butler Building in Washington, D.C. In 1904, it moved again to a new campus at the Old Naval Observatory, which grew to include five major buildings.[13]
In 1901, the Division of Scientific Research was formed, which included the Hygienic Laboratory as well as other research offices of the Marine Hospital Service.[14] In 1912, the Marine Hospital Service became the Public Health Service (PHS).[12] In 1922, PHS established a Special Cancer Investigations laboratory at Harvard Medical School. This development marked the beginning of partnerships with universities.[12]
In 1930, the Hygienic Laboratory was re-designated as the National Institute of Health by the Ransdell Act, and was given $750,000 to construct two NIH buildings at the Old Naval Observatory campus.[12] In 1937, the NIH absorbed the rest of the Division of Scientific Research, of which it was formerly part.[14][15]
In 1938, the NIH moved to its current campus in Bethesda, Maryland.[12] Over the next few decades, Congress would markedly increase funding of the NIH. Various institutes and centers within the NIH were created for specific research programs.[12] In 1944, the Public Health Service Act was approved and the National Cancer Institute became a division of the NIH. In 1948, the name changed from National Institute of Health to National Institutes of Health.
Later history
[edit]In the 1960s, virologist and cancer researcher Chester M. Southam injected HeLa cancer cells into patients at the Jewish Chronic Disease Hospital.[16]: 130 When three doctors resigned after refusing to inject patients without their consent, the experiment gained considerable media attention.[16]: 133 The NIH was a major source of funding for Southam's research and required all research involving human subjects to obtain their consent before any experimentation.[16]: 135 Upon investigating all of their grantee institutions, the NIH discovered that the majority of them did not protect the rights of human subjects. From then on, the NIH has required all grantee institutions to approve any research proposals involving human experimentation with review boards.[16]: 135
In 1967, the Division of Regional Medical Programs was created to administer grants for research for heart disease, cancer, and strokes. That same year, the NIH director lobbied the White House for increased federal funding to increase research and the speed with which health benefits could be brought to the people. An advisory committee was formed to oversee the further development of the NIH and its research programs. By 1971, cancer research was in full force, and President Nixon signed the National Cancer Act, initiating a National Cancer Program, President's Cancer Panel, National Cancer Advisory Board, and 15 new research, training, and demonstration centers.[17]
Funding for the NIH has often been a source of contention in the US Congress, serving as a proxy for the political currents of the time. In 1992, the NIH encompassed nearly one percent of the federal government's operating budget and controlled more than 50 percent of all funding for health research, and 85 percent of all funding for health studies in universities.[18] While government funding for research in other disciplines has been increasing at a rate similar to inflation since the 1970s, research funding for the NIH nearly tripled through the 1990s and early 2000s, but has remained relatively stagnant since then.[19]
By the 1990s, the NIH committee focus had shifted to DNA research and launched the Human Genome Project.[20]
On January 22, 2025, the Trump administration imposed an immediate freeze on meetings – such as grant review panels – as well as travel, communications, and hiring at the NIH, affecting $47.4 billion worth of activities.[4] One year into Trump's second term, more than 5,800 NIH grants were cancelled or suspended at some point. Some grants were reinstated after court rulings, but as of January 2026 around 2,600 grants ($1.4 billion) are still suspended.[5]
Leadership
[edit]The NIH Office of the Director is the central office responsible for setting policy for the NIH, and for planning, managing, and coordinating the programs and activities of all NIH components. The NIH Director plays an active role in shaping the agency's activities and outlook. The Director is responsible for providing leadership to the Institutes and Centers by identifying needs and opportunities, especially in efforts involving multiple Institutes.[21] Within the Director's Office is the Division of Program Coordination, Planning and Strategic Initiatives with 12 divisions including:
- Office of AIDS Research
- Office of Research on Women's Health
- Office of Disease Prevention
- Sexual and Gender Minority Research Office
- Tribal Health Research Office
- Office of Program Evaluation and Performance
The Agency Intramural Research Integrity Officer "is directly responsible for overseeing the resolution of all research misconduct allegations involving intramural research, and for promoting research integrity within the NIH Office of Intramural Research (OIR)."[22] There is a Division of Extramural Activities, which has its own Director.[23] The Office of Ethics has its own Director,[24] as does the Office of Global Research.[25]
Locations and campuses
[edit]Intramural research is primarily conducted at the main campus in Bethesda, Maryland, and Rockville, Maryland, and the surrounding communities.
The Bayview Campus in Baltimore, Maryland houses the research programs of the National Institute on Aging, National Institute on Drug Abuse, and National Human Genome Research Institute with nearly 1,000 scientists and support staff.[26] The Frederick National Laboratory in Frederick, MD and the nearby Riverside Research Park, houses many components of the National Cancer Institute, including the Center for Cancer Research, Office of Scientific Operations, Management Operations Support Branch, the division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics and the division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis.[27]
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences is located in the Research Triangle region of North Carolina.
Other ICs have satellite locations in addition to operations at the main campus. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases maintains its Rocky Mountain Labs in Hamilton, Montana,[28] with an emphasis on BSL3 and BSL4 laboratory work. NIDDK operates the Phoenix Epidemiology and Clinical Research Branch in Phoenix, Arizona.
Research
[edit]
As of 2017, 153 scientists receiving financial support from the NIH have been awarded a Nobel Prize and 195 have been awarded a Lasker Award.[29]
Intramural and extramural research
[edit]In 2019, the NIH devoted 10% of its funding to research within its own facilities (intramural research), and gave >80% of its funding in