Feinberg Research Funding Tops $750 Million

Feinberg principal investigators secured $758 million dollars in research funding and awards during the 2025-26 fiscal year, accounting for more than 74 percent of Northwestern University’s more than $1 billion in research funding.

This funding supports research projects that advance basic science, clinical research and translational developments. In the last academic year, Feinberg faculty members published 366 research articles in the most prominent and prestigious medical journals, an increase of nearly 300 percent from 2011.

Over the past year, Feinberg investigators have revealed new insights into the biological mechanisms that drive health and disease. Scientists have discovered that a molecule once considered toxic is essential for gene regulation and development, uncovered the cellular origins of a key brain signal, and identified new genetic and inflammatory drivers of devastating neurological disorders, including ALS. Investigators are also advancing the understanding of how aging reshapes gene expression and one team developed a promising RNA-based therapy that may help preserve muscle during GLP-1–driven weight loss. Together, these discoveries expand our foundational insights into human biology while opening new paths toward therapies for aging, neurological disease and metabolic health.

While this year’s funding is remarkable, the numbers are indicative of the community’s effort to continue to pursue research despite adversity, according to Rex Chisholm, PhD, vice dean for scientific affairs and graduate education and the Adam and Richard T. Lind Professor of Medical Genetics.

“This year marks a big step forward, and our funding is a powerful reflection of the exceptional research enterprise we have built,” said Chisholm, who is also associate vice president for research of Northwestern University. “We have faced major challenges, and we continue to reimagine how we can collaborate across Feinberg to advance research and our scientific discovery beyond our campus.”

Roughly 26 percent of awarded funds were allocated towards basic science department funding and 73 percent towards clinical department funding. Of the total, $486 million was awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Individual grant awards included 76 individual research fellowships (F awards), 56 career development awards (K awards) and 35 training grants (T awards).

Over the last 13 years, Feinberg’s NIH portfolio has grown by 134 percent, from $208 million to $486 million this year. Additionally, a total of 86 patents and seven new start-up companies were established within the last fiscal year.

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