A newly released analysis of National Institutes of Health (NIH) research awards shows that Oklahoma’s NIH grants and contracts grew by 97.74 percent from 2000 to 2004. This growth rate ranks Oklahoma 8th among all states.
The analysis was conducted by the State Science and Technology Institute, an Ohio-based nonprofit. The analysis shows that Oklahoma’s NIH funding increased from $44.4 million to $87.85 million over the four-year period, easily outpacing the national average of 53.18 percent.
“These numbers are extremely encouraging,” said J. Donald Capra, M.D., president of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. “They demonstrate that Oklahoma scientists are making real progress in establishing our state as a center of medical research excellence.”
OMRF and the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center spearheaded the state’s increase, with growth rates of 102 and 99 percent, respectively. Together, the two institutions accounted for $70.2 million in NIH funding in 2004—80 percent of the state’s total.
The NIH is the leading supporter of medical research in the country, providing over $20 billion annually in funding for medical research.
North Dakota showed the highest growth rate among the states, with a 202 percent increase. Alabama, Idaho, Montana and Virginia, respectively, rounded out the top five. But of this group, only Virginia, with $450 million in NIH funding in 2004, ranked ahead of Oklahoma in terms of overall NIH dollars.
Measured by overall NIH funding, Oklahoma ranked 35th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, its total just ahead of Kansas and Nebraska. California topped that list with $3.6 billion—more than 40 times Oklahoma’s tally.
“We obviously still have a lot of room to improve,” said Capra. “The scientists in our state are as good as those in California—we just don’t have enough of them. If we are to continue our upward trajectory, we need to attract many more researchers to Oklahoma.”
Capra cited the state’s EDGE (Economic Development Generating Excellence) and OCAST (Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology) initiatives as keystones to growing the state’s medical research enterprise. “Innovative programs like OCAST and EDGE are crucial to building scientific infrastructure in Oklahoma,” he said. “Investments in these programs and others like them are vital to maintaining the momentum we’ve established.”
The State Science and Technology Institute analysis is available upon request. NIH funding statistics: http://grants2.nih.gov/grants/award/awardtr.htm.
About OMRF:
Chartered in 1946, OMRF (www.omrf.org) is a nonprofit biomedical research institute dedicated to understanding and curing human disease. Its scientists focus on such critical research areas as Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, lupus and cardiovascular disease. It is home to Oklahoma’s only member of the National Academy of Sciences.
About the State Science and Technology Institute (SSTI):
Based in Westerville, Ohio, SSTI (www.ssti.org) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to improving government-industry programs that encourage economic growth through the application of science and technology. Oklahoma Contact: Sheri Stickley, Vice President, (405) 315-1587.
