The Power of Science Funding
From Life Changing and Life Saving Discoveries to Economic Growth
Hello friends!
I am back from my magical trip to Tanzania. It was full of laughter, beautiful scenery, animal sightings and building friendships with the wonderful Tanzanians we met. I am already dreaming of returning with my family one day soon. If you want to see photos from the trip, I’ve saved plenty in the Tanzania highlights on my Instagram!
Adjusting back has been a bit challenging to say the least.
Before I flew out, I wrote my last newsletter and was interviewed for this HuffPost article. Today, I want to revisit and expand on some key points that I believe are critical but aren’t being covered enough elsewhere.
The Federal Science Funding Landscape
To get a general overview of what’s happening within our federal science organizations, I recommend reading this article.
The U.S. government funds a significant portion of the scientific research conducted in this country—approximately 55% of academic R&D. Two key agencies involved in this process are:
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) – Focused on improving health (I covered this in my last newsletter).
The National Science Foundation (NSF) – Dedicated to expanding human knowledge.
Both are critically important, yet many people don’t fully realize just how important these institutions are.
Federal Grant Submissions = High Chance of Failure
I first learned about NIH and NSF in college when my professor found out one of his NIH grants wasn’t funded. He was upset. At the time, I didn’t understand why, but then I started to realize just how expensive science is. Conducting research requires funding for supplies, wages, and equipment. Until that moment, I had never even thought about where that money came from.
Then I got to graduate school, where suddenly all I heard were scientists stressed about submitting grants—and having to submit them often. This is because federal funding for scientific research is not easy to get. This is a large reason I decided not to focus on obtaining a research focused academic position. I didn’t want to have this constant stress. For example, only about 20% of submitted applications to NIH are funded. The day I got the email from NIH that my postdoctoral fellowship was funded was one very special day for me. My husband still jokes that I was more excited about that email than finding out I was pregnant (not quite true, but it was a great day!).
Which grants are funded is determined by a peer review scoring process that I discussed briefly before. Take home - grants enable scientists across the country to do scientific research. Much of the research would not be done without this money. Who gets the grant is decided based on a peer review scoring system.
The human benefit of NIH and NSF
Despite the high failure rate, scientists keep revising and submitting grants. Our work is important. We want to discover new things, make a difference and help people. You’re reading this newsletter right now on the internet. Did you know NSF funded research helped to develop the internet?
Have you or someone you loved ever had a head injury that required an MRI? Can you imagine how difficult it would be to diagnose and treat things like brain tumors without this technology? NSF funded research helped bring us MRIs.
What about kidney disease? Have you ever met someone who needed a kidney donation? The system used to help match donors with recipients was supported by NSF.
Now for a moment imagine being a parent in the 1930’s with a child who was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia. I shudder in horror thinking of the pain this diagnosis would bring - back then it was a death sentence. Now, it is still not words any parent wants to hear - but kids have a 90% chance of surviving thanks to NIH supported research.
Imagine suffering from rheumatoid arthritis for years without any successful treatment until you try a class of medications known as Jak inhibitors (e.g. Xelijanz) and now you can function again. NIH helped with that work too.
Maybe you know a family member or friend who discovered she had a mutation in one of the BRCA genes and were able to be monitored closely. Imagine this led to the early detection and curing of her breast cancer. This work was made possible by the NIH funded human genome project, and the discovery of BRCA’s link to cancer.
I could honestly fill a book with the advancements made due to NSF and NIH funded research, this is just a small snapshot. If you’d like more of these examples please let me know.
STEM & The US Economy
As a scientist I’d love if discovery was enough to garner support for federal science funding. I know it isn’t though, which is why I will now highlight the economic benefit of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
Science funding not only improves our lives through discovery - it also generates money that bolsters the economy and our global standing.
A report released in 2021 looked at the economic impact of STEM in the USA.
Employment: the report looked at both direct STEM jobs (e.g. scientists) or indirect/induced (e.g. the administrations or HR staff employed as a result of STEM jobs). They found that combined, STEM was impacting 67% of the employment in the USA with over 130 million jobs.
Gross domestic product (GDP): GDP is used as a measure for a country's economic health. It measures the total value of all goods and services in the country during a specific time period. This report found that STEM supports 69% of the USA’s GDP.
Tax revenue: STEM generated $2.3 trillion in annual tax revenue.
Lastly, this report found that 60% of these workers don’t have a bachelor’s degree yet still hold valuable, well-paying jobs. In fact, these STEM workers earn more than their non-STEM counterparts at every education level.
This highlights how STEM isn’t just for scientists—it supports millions of jobs at all levels and is a major economic driver.
The Economic Impact of NIH & NSF
NSF
2023 budget: $9.9 billion
Supported jobs: 353,000
Funds distributed to all 50 states
NIH (data from this report):
For every $1 spent on research, $2.46 is generated in economic activity.
More funding = more jobs and greater economic returns:
2015 budget: $30.31 billion → 322,399 jobs and $59.09 billion in economic activity.
2023 budget: $47.68 billion → 412,041 jobs and $92.89 billion in economic activity.
NIH grants support jobs and economic activity in every U.S. state.
Why This Matters
I hope this gives you a sense of just how valuable federal STEM funding is—not just for scientific discovery and healthcare, but for the economy as a whole.
Without this support, many workers (not just scientists) would lose jobs, and our economy would suffer. This is why so many of us in positions supported by NIH and NSF are worried. The examples I shared illustrate the real-world benefits of STEM funding. Any pause or reduction in funding could delay the next breakthrough cancer treatment or lead to thousands of lost jobs.
Right now, no one knows exactly what will happen next. Hopefully, federal dollars will continue to support scientific research, even if priorities and language shift. But only time will tell.
From the teachers house
Not much to update here besides adjusting back from my trip. My son and husband also have had flu A, so I’ve been trying to get this post out for days. The fact it is coming to you now is thanks to eeryone going to sleep early after dinner!
