NIH won’t get through the next fiscal year without budget cuts of some sort, believe a clear majority of voters on a recent GEN poll. NIH and other agencies could see their spending curbed in FY 2013 and beyond, according to 71.4% of respondents, while 10.7% expect a budget increase, and a larger-than-usual 17.9% were undecided.
Those expecting budget cuts are no doubt reacting to the both the unfinished effort to cut at least $1.2 trillion over the next decade and the election results, which could embolden spending-cutters. NIH dodged a bullet last month when Congress approved a 1% increase to its funding compared to fiscal year 2011. NIH will have $30.6 billion for FY 2012, while in FY ’11 the agency saw its funding cut by nearly 1% from the previous federal fiscal year.