The funding bill for the National Cancer Institute and the National Institutes of Health have been finalized, leaving the NCI with $96 million less than its fiscal year 2023 total enacted budget but $120 million more compared to the base budget.
The NCI has announced the final decision for distributing the funds for new grant awards, early-stage investigators, training and sustaining funding for cancer centers, according to an April 4 agency news release written by Director W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD.
Here are four things to know:
- The agency is setting the payline for competing R01 and R21 grants to established and new investigators at the 10th percentile.
- The budget reflects the end of dedicated funding for the Cancer Moonshot.
- The NCI is prioritizing funding for new grants, particularly for early-stage investigators, training mechanisms and cancer centers.
- The institute will pay most continuing, noncompeting grants at 95% of the committed level, as opposed to the interim policy of 90%.
"Despite the fiscal challenges, we have so much to be optimistic about," Dr. Rathmell wrote. "The scientific opportunities before us have never been greater. The fiscal realities we face can provide an opportunity to ask hard questions about our priorities and consider new approaches and new partners."