Biden wishes to spend billions more on COVID-19 efforts at home and abroad. US federal funding agencies haven’t discussed specific funding opportunities based on the administration’s proposals, but it is likely there will be more funding available to biotech R&D on anti-virals, vaccines, diagnostics, etc.
Here, FreeMind Group’s Ayal Ronen explains the application process for funding by US Government agencies, exploring the challenges and potential benefits of applying for non-US entities.
Sep 07, 2017
NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – The US Senate’s appropriations committee today approved a funding bill that would increase the National Institutes of Health’s fiscal 2018 budget by $2 billion to $36.1 billion.
The bill — which was cleared by the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee yesterday — was approved by the full appropriations committee by a 30-1 vote.
Of the total allocated to the NIH, $1.8 billion is earmarked for Alzheimer’s disease research, representing a $414 million increase over fiscal 2017; $400 million for the BRAIN Initiative, $140 million more than last fiscal year; and a $60 million increase to $290 million for the All of Us precision medicine program. The National Cancer Institute’s precision medicine program received a $10 million increase to $80 million under the fiscal 2018 funding bill; while $513 million was committed to fighting antibiotic-resistance bacteria, a $50 million increase over the previous fiscal year.
“This bill upholds important investments in programs that affect all Americans,” Appropriations Committee Chairman Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS) said in a statement. “It deserves consideration by the Senate.”
Congress: NIH Budget Will Not Be Cut
Congress Inks Spending Deal That Jettisons Trump Priorities
– Bloomberg News, May 1, 2017
U.S. House and Senate negotiators reached a tentative bipartisan deal on a $1.1 trillion spending bill that largely tracks with Democratic priorities and rejects most of President Donald Trump’s wish list.
Overall, the compromise resembles more of an Obama administration-era budget than a Trump one. The National Institutes of Health, for example, would see a $2 billion boost, reflecting the popularity of medical research among lawmakers.