NIH to use part of its budget to pay for Department of Defense research
Money would ostensibly fund research the NIH leadership said it no longer wanted.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is reportedly entering into a deal with the Department of Defense (DoD) that will see a portion of the NIH's budget allocated to fund research conducted by the DoD. This agreement was confirmed by the DoD after it was leaked late last week. The deal has sparked controversy due to the significant budget disparities between the two entities and the fact that the NIH leadership had previously expressed rejection of the proposed projects.
The agreement stipulates that the NIH will transfer funds to the DoD for the purpose of supporting the development of medical countermeasures against various threats, including pandemic influenza, CBRN threats, and emerging infectious diseases. These funds would be sourced from the budget of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which Congress allocated $6.6 billion for in 2026.
The agreement is expected to be in effect for ten years, although the exact amount of the NIAID budget that will be spent on defense projects remains undisclosed. According to Nature's reporting, the Department of Defense was seeking up to one-third of its total budget, but was willing to settle for around 10 percent. The disparity in budgets between the two agencies is evident, with the 2026 Defense budget estimated to be approximately a trillion dollars, currently facing challenges due to the ongoing conflict with Iran.
Additionally, the NIH has been grappling with a shortage of grants to utilize the funds allocated to it.
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