The Ad Hoc Group for
Medical Research

Other sections of the Ad Hoc Group's proposal:

Executive Summary

Why Double?

What Progress From Past Investments?

What Investments are Needed?

How Does NIH Decide Priorities and Ensure Accountability?

NIH funding in recent years has helped create new diagnostic methods, treatments, vaccines and other preventive measures, and cures. Once its budget is doubled, NIH will be better positioned to pursue the burgeoning scientific opportunities and address the critical health challenges that confront us today - to the benefit of the nation's health, and that of the world. After the NIH budget is doubled, though, there will still be many disease challenges facing us, and NIH-supported scientists will remain our best hope for solving them.

Research is a long-term process that requires sustained investments to attract and retain first-class researchers and to create and maintain the state-of-the-art laboratories we need to solve the health challenges we will be facing in the future. In addition, each year of NIH grant awards creates out-year funding commitments, and these need to be funded if the grant system is to remain stable enough to remain a plausible career path for aspiring scientists - and for more senior scientists weighing opportunities in more lucrative clinical or pharmaceutical company settings.