NIH grants contribute to state, local economies

Grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including those to Idaho State University, contribute to the overall state and local economies, besides providing funds for important research.

For several years grants from the NIH have helped to fund important medical research throughout the state of Idaho. In 2004, the state, through the University of Idaho, received $16.1 million from NIH for a project called INBRE, which stands for “Idea Network for Biomedical Research Excellence.” The grant was the largest in the state’s history ever received for biomedical research.

Idaho State University is one of 10 educational facilities throughout the state to receive a portion of the $16.1 million in funding for INBRE. In 2007, ISU received an additional grant of approximately $400,000 for the project from NIH. Additionally, in the 2006-2007 academic year NIH contributed more than $600,000 in grant money to fund other biomedical and health-related research done at ISU.

Idaho colleges, communities and health care facilities aren’t the only ones who benefit from NIH grants. In the 2006-2007 academic year, more than 2,000 foreign students attended Idaho universities, contributing nearly $32 million to the state’s economy.

According to a report released in June by “Families USA Global Health Initiative: In Your Own Back Yard,” in 2007 Idaho received roughly $10 million statewide in grants and contracts for medical research from the NIH. These statewide awards have created and supported 160 jobs, which paid $45,600 on average, nearly double the states average wage.

For more information, contact Deb Easterly, Ed.D., research administrator for ISU, at 282-2618 or eastdebb@isu.edu.