Critical Shortfall in NIH Support for Medical Physics Research

TL;DR

This report highlights a significant decline in new NIH funding for medical physics research between FY24 and FY25, especially in new R01 grants, raising concerns about the field's future sustainability.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of NIH funding shifts for medical physics, linking membership data with NIH records to reveal funding composition changes.

Findings

50% decline in competing awards

80% drop in new R01 grants from NCI

Increase in noncompeting continuation awards

Abstract

This report summarizes changes in federal research funding to the medical physics community between FY24 and FY25. By linking the AAPM membership database with NIH RePORTER records, we quantified the distribution of NIH funding for projects led by AAPM researchers. Although total NIH funding to AAPM members remained relatively stable across the two years, the composition of that funding shifted substantially. Competing (new and renewal) awards declined 50%, driven largely by an 80% collapse in new R01 grants from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). In contrast, noncompeting continuation awards increased by 10%, following a shift in how NIH funds multi-year projects. These changes occurred in the context of widespread disruptions to NIH review and grantmaking, including delayed study sections and more stringent administrative requirements. Federal funding is essential to sustaining innovation, supporting early-stage investigators, and ensuring that patients receive the best possible care. The trends identified here raise concerns about the long-term vitality and stability of the medical physics research pipeline.