The NIH, which is made up of institutes such as the National Cancer Institute and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, focuses on disease research and has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to UNC-system research institutions and the state.
In 1998, Congress began an effort to double the NIH's budget in five years -- increasing the institute's revenue to a record $23.3 billion in 2002.
Concerns about the institute's spending and effectiveness were examined in a recent congressional hearing about the NIH's progress.
But Bob Moore, NIH chief of statistical analysis, said the institutes are not in danger of losing any funding. "It's not a matter of whether or not the NIH budget will be increased, it's a matter of how much it's going to be increased," he said.
If Congress fails to pass a budget that allocates more money to the institutes, it would not bode well for future grants, Moore said.
He said that if the budget is not increased, the number of new grants would be reduced dramatically because the NIH will have to continue to honor prior financial obligations to research projects already in progress.
The budget for the 2003-04 fiscal year proposed by President Bush would complete the doubling of the NIH budget -- raising it to $27.3 billion -- but lawmakers are not likely to pass that budget in its entirety.
The budget could be passed during a lame-duck session after the November election, although it might be put off until Congress reconvenes in January.
Meanwhile, the NIH will have to continue working at its 2002 budget funding level well into 2003.
