Funding rates for investigators seeking research grants from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) dropped sharply in 2025, according to recently released data. A policy adopted by President Donald Trump’s administration that requires NIH to fund multiyear grants up front in a single lump sum is likely making it harder for researchers early in their careers to win a grant, the agency recently acknowledged in a blog post.

Overall, the number of investigators winning these grants dropped from 7720 in 2024 to 5885 in the 2025 fiscal year that ended on 30 September, 2025, the agency’s Office of Extramural Research reported in the 10 February blog post.

The funding rate for early-stage investigators (ESIs), those who earned their graduate degree within the past 10 years, dropped from 26% in 2024 to just 19% in 2025. An 11% rise in the number of applicants–from 5446 in 2024 to 6065 the next year—contributed to the decline. In absolute terms, the number of ESIs awarded funding dropped from 1423 in 2024 to 1144 in 2025.

Source https://www.science.org/content/article/nih-research-grant-success-rates-plummeted-2025

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