PAN Applauds President’s Announcement of Research Funding
$5 billion in grant awards from stimulus used to push science forward

WASHINGTON—The Parkinson’s Action Network (PAN) celebrates President Obama’s continued commitment to scientific research with today’s announcement of $5 billion in grant awards under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. These grants, awarded since September 1 using money from the economic stimulus bill passed earlier this year, promise to push innovative science forward with new translational, clinical, and basic research. “Since his Inaugural Address, President Obama has shown a strong commitment to advancing scientific discoveries,” said Amy Comstock Rick, PAN Chief Executive Officer. “Today’s announcement is another action supporting that commitment, and it is PAN’s hope, and that of the entire Parkinson’s disease community, that today’s investments will provide new therapies and cures for Parkinson’s disease.”

Before President Obama made this announcement, he toured facilities on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) campus. The tour was followed by a session with NIH employees and outside organizations, of which PAN was an invited guest.

The funding announced today on the NIH campus creates new granting programs, including Challenge Grants, Grand Opportunity grants, and Signature Initiatives. These innovative new programs will push the boundaries of science in every state of our country. With over 12,000 grants awarded, numerous jobs over the next two years will be created to conduct the next generation of scientific research.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act included $10 billion for NIH research. This funding was secured by Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA), Senate Co-Chair of the Bicameral Congressional Caucus on Parkinson’s Disease. The funding accounts for nearly one-third of NIH’s budget, and today’s announcement of $5 billion in grant awards represents nearly one-sixth of the annual NIH budget. NIH estimates that with every dollar spent on research, more than two dollars of goods and services are produced in the economy, providing an economic boost key to the stimulus.

More than $1 billion in this grant funding is dedicated to research applying technology from the Human Genome Project. This research will focus on genomic changes linked to cancer, heart, lung, and blood disease, and autism. The research announced today could potentially lead to new therapies or cures for these diseases and many others, including Parkinson’s.


Click here to read President Obama’s announcement.
Click here to view a video featuring NIH Director Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., discuss the stimulus and new NIH grants.