Record Research Funding for IU School of Medicine

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For the sixth straight year, the Indiana University School of Medicine is celebrating a record-breaking year of research funding. In 2021, the institution brought in more $217 million from the National Institutes of Health, which is $5 million more than the previous year. Of the top 20 research projects throughout the U.S., eight departments of the IU School of Medicine appear on the list.

In an interview with Business of Health reporter Kylie Veleta, Associate Dean for Research Affairs Dr. Tatiana Foroud explained the economic impact the NIH funding has on the Hoosier State.

“There’s been a report that was done around economic activity in 2020. And they estimated for every million dollars in NIH funding, that creates 13 jobs in Indiana, and about $2.7 million in economic activity,” said Foroud.

Foroud says funding from the NIH, which she calls the premier government agency in terms of funding, validates the high level of medical exploration being conducted by researchers at the university. She says research proposals undergo rigorous review.

“It’s been reviewed by their peers, individuals who are leaders in the country. And it’s been deemed to be in the top 10, maybe 20% Of all the proposals that NIH received to be funded. It’s really a testament to the quality of the research that we have here at Indiana University School of Medicine to have that much grant funding,” said Foroud.

Foroud says four of the top five research projects to receive NIH funding are connected to the school’s research on Alzheimer’s Disease.

Researchers are examining causes of disease, development of new treatments, and the sharing of biological samples between researchers, among others.

“[We’re] trying to understand the causes, and also trying to understand how we can use that information to develop improve treatments so that we could potentially spare those individuals a devastating disease.”