NIH funding of biomedical innovation is fueling industry growth, and helping cut long-term health care costs, say US researchers

In advance of the one-year anniversary of the USA's Recovery and Reinvestment Act's enactment on February 17, 20 of the nation's leading research institutions, patient advocates and biomedical industry have released a detailed report on how Recovery Act funding of medical research through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is at work across the country in the service of better health and a healthier economy.

The new report, Investing in Recovery and Discovery by United for Medical Research (UMR), documents how the $10.5 billion infusion in 2009 and 2010 has come at a propitious time for both the US economy and the nation's biomedical research enterprise.

The investment is creating and preserving jobs, laying the foundation for industry growth, and helping to reduce long-term health care costs. The NIH estimates that the funding is saving or preserving 50,000 jobs in research institutions and organizations around the country. But the full value of the investment is far greater.