Billions of dollars are spent each year to fund research as scientists continue to identify the causes of cancer and to develop strategies for prevention, detection, treatments, and cures. The following statistics allow a glimpse into the immense field of cancer research funding.
Cancer research is funded by the federal government primarily through the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).1
More than $30 billion annually is invested into medical research by the NIH.1
Greater than 80% of NIH’s funding is awarded through competitive grants to researchers at more than 3000 locations in all 50 states across the country.1
Between fiscal years 2010 and 2012, NIH federal appropriations fluctuated only slightly, with a low of $30,399 million (FY 2011) and a high of $31,010 (FY 2010).1
Over half of NCI’s budget is assigned to more than 6500 research grants funded at more than 150 research facilities located in 49 states.1
NCI federal appropriations also varied only marginally between fiscal years 2010 and 2012, with a low of $5058 million (FY 2011) and a high of $5103 (FY 2010).1
The National Cancer Society annually spends approximately $5.2 billion in its fight against cancer.2
Many times, research funding is appropriated to a specific cancer that has scientific groundwork already established. Therefore, the little known and/or less understood cancers tend to receive less funding than the more understood cancers, such as breast cancer.3
Sources
1. www.aacr.org.
2. www.StatisticBrain.com.
3. www.everydayhealth.com.
