One billion dollars of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds were awarded to NIH on May 14. This funding will go toward building or improving biomedical research facilities across the country.“These Recovery Act dollars will provide state-of-the-art facilities for hundreds of researchers to conduct cutting-edge science with the latest technologies. At the same time, they will create job opportunities nationwide,†said NIH Director Francis S. Collins.
The 146 grants are expected to both create jobs and improve health. The grants are going to be used are to advance research on pediatric illnesses, cancer, autism, HIV/AIDS, and other health diseases and disorders.
For example, research will be accelerated in St. Louis because The Washington University School of Medicine will use an award to build a new center for human genome research. This $14.3 million award has the potential to develop diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
According to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, “This unprecedented Recovery Act investment in research facility construction will not only give our world-class scientists the modern facilities they need for impact research, it will also help create and maintain jobs in varied business sectors and in all regions of our country.â€
