The Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research issued the following statement in responses to FY 2021 Omnibus to Fund NIH and the COVID-19 relief package release.
House and Senate leaders this afternoon released text of their negotiated agreement on year-end legislation (H.R. 133), which includes an omnibus with all 12 of the FY 2021 spending bills; emergency COVID-19 relief funding; and other provisions. Upon preliminary review, within the Labor-HHS-Education portion of the FY 2021 omnibus (Division H), the bill provides a program level of $42.934 billion for NIH, a $1.250 billion increase (+3%) over the comparable FY 2020 level. (For reference, the Biomedical Research Development Price Index [BRDPI] is projected at 2.4% in FY 2021.) This funding level includes the full $404 million provided to the NIH through the Innovation Account in the 21st Century Cures Act, and, as provided in FY 2020, also includes a $225 million transfer to NIH for buildings and facilities from the Nonrecurring Expenses Fund.
In addition to the FY 2021 funding, under Division M of the bill (pg. 1823, Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021), the package provides $1.250 billion in emergency funding for NIH “research and clinical trials related to long-term COVID-19 studies” ($1.150 billion) and for the Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) program ($100 million), available through September 30, 2024.
Additional details are available in the below resources.
Full bill text (H.R. 133, NIH FY 21 language begins on page 963)
Appropriations Section-by-Section
COVID-19 Relief Section-by-Section