Data show a sharp decline in funding success for National Institutes of Health (NIH) projects in 2025. NIH has implemented a new unified funding strategy that replaces traditional paylines—the public percentile thresholds above which proposals were almost always approved. From January 2026, even proposals with high percentiles (e.g. 1-5%) may not be funded, as decisions take into account strategic criteria such as portfolio balance, public health priorities and support for young researchers. NIH institutes will no longer publish paylines, which reduces the predictability and transparency of the process. This change brings more uncertainty for researchers in project planning and staffing. In 2024, NIH awarded $36.94 billion, supporting 407,782 jobs and generating $94.58 billion in economic activity. A limited NIH budget in 2025 and beyond could weaken biomedical innovation in the US.[1][3][4]