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August 5, 20251 citationsOpen Access

Absolute and Relative Declines in National Institutes of Health (NIH) Funded Basic Science Publications

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MLMichael S. Lauer

Key Points

  • NIH-funded publications in basic science fell from nearly 60% in 1990 to 24% in 2024.
  • Despite an increase after the 1998 budget doubling, basic science publications grew more slowly than human-focused research.
  • The absolute number of basic science publications decreased following the budget shocks of 2011-2013.
  • These findings raise concerns about the future support for basic science by NIH funding.
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  • simple_explanation :
  • The number of basic science research papers funded by the NIH has been dropping over the years. In the early '90s, almost 60% of NIH papers focused on basic science, but this dropped to 24% by 2024. Although there was a boost in numbers after a budget increase, basic science papers are being published less than human-focused ones. This decline raises concerns about the future support for basic science research. 📉
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Abstract

ABSTRACT An analysis of over 2.2 million NIH-funded research papers published between 1990 and 2024 reveals that there have been marked declines in the relative and absolute numbers of basic-science oriented publications. In 1990, nearly 60% of NIH-funded publications reported on basic science, with that proportion declining to 24% in 2024. The absolute number of basic science publications increased after the NIH budget doubling of 1998-2023, but at a slower rate than for human-focused publications. After the 2011-2013 budget shocks, the absolute number of basic science publications declined. These data support concerns about the long-term trajectory of NIH’s support for basic science.

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Cite This Study

Michael S. Lauer (2025) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/689a0f93e6551bb0af8d1346https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.07.15.664939
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