NIH: Job Creator

A new report from the US Government Accountability Office shows that the $8.2 billion NIH received from the government during the 2009 stimulus created at least 21,000 jobs, reports ScienceInsider's Jocelyn Kaiser. When NIH received the funds, the agency's acting director Raynard Kington told Congress that the additional money would help create jobs. The GAO report shows that 12,000 full-time equivalent positions were initially created in December 2009, a number that grew for nine months until it hit 21,000 in June 2011, Kaiser says, or about one FTE for each of the 21,500 grants NIH awarded during that time. NIH says once all the data is compiled, it will shows that the stimulus money supported up to 54,000 FTEs. However, Kaiser adds, the report doesn't show what will happen to these jobs after the stimulus money runs out. Another report is expected sometime next year to discuss that in more detail.