Beyond the intrinsic value of understanding disease processes and seeking cures, biomedical research improves lives by stimulating the economy. Each dollar of research grant funding awarded by the National Institutes of Health in FY2023 generated $2.46 in economic activity, according to economic analysis by United for Medical Research. The $37.8 billion invested by NIH produced $93 billion in economic ativity and supported 412,041 jobs nationwide, according to the organization's 2024 update to the report NIH's Role in Sustaining the U.S. Economy.

In Hawai‘i for example, $69 million in NIH grants and contracts directly supported 964 jobs and $186 million in economic activity. ARCS Honolulu academic partner University of Hawai‘i received the lion's share of that funding in the form of 78 grants worth $58 million. That supported 819 jobs and generated $158 in economic activity, including purchase of research-related materials and supplies, generation of expendable income, and payment of taxes.

NIH grants fund Hawai‘i-focused projects, UH Vice President for Research and Innovation Vassilis Syrmos told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “This research is community-based research, and it’s research that is not done in any other place within the United States, that is very focused and specific in our community, our needs and our population.” Read more

NIH-funded researchers are often among the faculty members advising Honolulu ARCS Scholars.

See the UMR report's state-by-state breakdown.