NIH Funds Propel UCSF’s Health Innovations For All
UC San Francisco received $815 million in awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) last year for research that will improve the lives of patients in the U.S. and around the world.
The grants enable UCSF scientists to test new treatments for dementia and stroke, investigate the environmental causes of cancer and look for new ways to treat the world’s number one infectious disease killer, tuberculosis, which is becoming increasingly resistant to drugs.
“NIH funding is the lifeblood of our research, and it’s the reason for America’s global leadership in science and medicine,” said UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood , MBBS. “Our research partnership with the federal government helps us improve medical care for everyone and educate the next generation of scientists.”
The scientific innovations that come out of NIH-funded research are the main source of innovation for the biomedical industry in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the nation.
Every $1 of NIH funding creates $2.46 in economic activity, according to an analysis by United for Medical Research, a nonprofit coalition of leading research institutions, patient and health advocates and private industry.
This is especially true in the San Francisco Bay Area, which has a thriving life sciences economy. As of 2024, according to Biocom California, these industries employed 156,454 people and supported 328,000 jobs, contributing $142.7 billion to the local economy.
The grants also support the cutting-edge facilities and advanced technology that scientists need to do their work. This includes “core” genomic, imaging and computational instruments, as well as other high-tech platforms that are shared by many different researchers.
UCSF was the largest public recipient of NIH awards in 2024, and the second largest overall, according to the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Funding. The UCSF schools of medicine, pharmacy and dentistry were first among their peers, and the school of nursing was fifth.
Total: $726,020,299
Example: The Alzheimer’s Disease Tau Platform Clinical Trial, led by Adam Boxer , MD, PhD, is simultaneously testing five new therapies for Alzheimer’s disease. They aim to eliminate excess tau and amyloid-beta protein that accumulates in the brain, leveraging the leading ideas on how Alzheimer’s develops to find the best way to treat it. $29,813,375
Total: $45,793,112
Example: Rada Savic , PhD, is leading the Preclinical Design and Clinical Translation of TB Regimens (PReDicTR) Consortium, which brings together the world’s leaders in tuberculosis (TB) treatment to develop better therapies. More than 1 million people die from TB each year, and current treatments are arduous and hard to endure. Savic’s team will test new approaches to shorten the duration of treatment and improve outcomes. $7,199,999
Total: $23,165,190
Example: Jeffrey Bush , PhD, and his team are looking at how the face and mouth develop to understand how things go wrong in conditions like cleft palate, which is currently treated with surgery. $1,021,044
Total: $14,506,833
Example: Linda Park , PhD, and her team are testing the impact of virtual coaching and networking on older adults with cardiovascular disease who have recently completed cardiac rehabilitation. The program will encourage physical activity to maintain heart health and avoid hypertension, diabetes and obesity. $733,805
https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2025/03/429566/nih-funding-drives-ucsfs-pursuit-better-health-all