NIH funding profile · Fairfax, VA · Higher education
George Mason University NIH Funding
Reviewed by Dr. Meng ZhaoLast reviewed October 16, 2026Data refreshed October 16, 2026Editorial standards
George Mason University received $16.2M in NIH award funding in fiscal year 2026 across 22 award records and 30 principal investigators. That ranks #252 of 2,407 NIH-funded institutions and #7 in Virginia, down 10.1% from FY2025.
FY2026 closed on September 30, 2026, but NIH keeps posting that year's awards to RePORTER for several weeks. FY2026 figures reflect records available on October 16, 2026 and may rise slightly at the next refresh.
FY2026 NIH funding
$16.2M
−10.1% vs FY2025
National rank
#252
Down 9 places from #243 vs FY2025
Rank in Virginia
#7
2.7% of Virginia NIH funding · down 1 place from #6
Awards · PIs
22
30 investigators · 4 new projects
NIH funding trend, FY2022–FY2026
George Mason University received $82.5M in NIH awards over these five fiscal years. Annual funding moved −12.5% from FY2022 to FY2026. Its best national rank in the period was #242 (FY2022).
NIH institutes funding George Mason University, FY2026
10 NIH institutes and centers administered awards here in FY2026. The largest, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), accounted for 33.5% of the institution's NIH funding across 2 awards.
- NIAID · National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases$5.4M · 33.5%
2 awards · vs FY2025: +117.4%
- NIDA · National Institute on Drug Abuse$4.9M · 30.0%
5 awards · vs FY2025: −25.2%
- NIA · National Institute on Aging$2.3M · 13.9%
4 awards · vs FY2025: +94.2%
- NIBIB · National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering$1.1M · 6.7%
3 awards · vs FY2025: +5.0%
- NIMH · National Institute of Mental Health$1.0M · 6.4%
3 awards · vs FY2025: −43.5%
- FIC · Fogarty International Center$688K · 4.2%
1 award · vs FY2025: —
- NINDS · National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke$398K · 2.5%
1 award · vs FY2025: —
- NCI · National Cancer Institute$227K · 1.4%
1 award · vs FY2025: —
- NIMHD · National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities$119K · 0.7%
1 award · vs FY2025: −3.2%
- NICHD · Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development$89K · 0.6%
1 award · vs FY2025: +4.8%
Award mechanism mix
Share of NIH award dollars by activity-code family in FY2026, with the FY2022 share for comparison. R01-equivalent research grants were 52.6% of funding.
- R01-equivalent52.6% · FY22 23.3%
- Cooperative agreements (U)36.8% · FY22 23.4%
- Other research (R)7.7% · FY22 15.6%
- Career development (K)2.4% · FY22 1.6%
- Fellowships (F)0.6% · FY22 0.0%
- Other0.0% · FY22 36.1%
Top activity codes, FY2026
Largest FY2026 awards
The biggest single award records by FY2026 dollars. Each links to its NIH RePORTER project page.
- Mechanisms of PSGL-1 restriction of HIV virion infectivity (opens NIH RePORTER)
2R01AI148012-06 · NIAID
$3.1MR01
- JCOIN Phase II Coordination and Translation Center (opens NIH RePORTER)
5U2CDA050097-08 · NIDA
$2.9MU2C
- Positioning Mason's Regional Biocontainment Laboratory for Effective Pandemic Preparedness (opens NIH RePORTER)
5UC7AI180261-04 · NIAID
$2.4MUC7
- From functional to dysfunctional neural network dynamics underpinning memory storage and retrieval across young adult and aged mice (opens NIH RePORTER)
4R33AG087912-03 · NIA
$759KR33
- Impacts of HIV and nicotine on T cell neuroinvasion and HIV CNS reservoir seeding (opens NIH RePORTER)
1R01DA066840-01 · NIDA
$710KR01
- Phylogenetic modeling of viral transmission dynamics at the human-wildlife interface in Uganda (opens NIH RePORTER)
7R01TW012704-04 · FIC
$688KR01
Recently started projects
The latest new (Type 1) FY2026 awards by notice date, out of 4 new projects NIH funded here this year.
- A New Window into the in vivo tumor Microenvironment: Rapid harvesting and isolation of tissue interstitial space extracellular vesicles while preserving tissue functional state and cytomorphology (opens NIH RePORTER)
1R61CA315165-01 · NCI · Notice Sep 4, 2026
$227KR61
- Wearable ultrasound patch for noninvasive hemodynamic monitoring after pediatric cardiac surgery (opens NIH RePORTER)
1R21EB040377-01 · NIBIB · Notice Aug 14, 2026
$265KR21
- Non-medical Supplemental Benefits, Health Service Utilization, and Health Outcomes in Medicare Advantage. (opens NIH RePORTER)
1R01AG099292-01 · NIA · Notice Feb 6, 2026
$591KR01
Other NIH-funded institutions in Virginia
| # | Institution | Funding |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of VirginiaCharlottesville, VA | $237.1M |
| 2 | Virginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmond, VA | $115.7M |
| 3 | Virginia TechBlacksburg, VA | $59.1M |
| 4 | Four Points Technology, LLCChantilly, VA | $52.1M |
| 5 | Carahsoft Technology CorporationReston, VA | $28.2M |
| 6 | American Type Culture CollectionManassas, VA | $24.8M |
| 7 | George Mason UniversityFairfax, VA | $16.2M |
| 8 | Old Dominion UniversityNorfolk, VA | $11.5M |
Nearby in the national ranking
| # | Institution | Funding |
|---|---|---|
| 249 | The Lundquist InstituteTorrance, CA | $16.4M |
| 250 | MaineHealthPortland, ME | $16.4M |
| 251 | Louisiana State UniversityBaton Rouge, LA | $16.2M |
| 252 | George Mason UniversityFairfax, VA | $16.2M |
| 253 | PsychoGenics, Inc.Paramus, NJ | $16.1M |
| 254 | SRI InternationalMenlo Park, CA | $16.0M |
| 255 | Midwest Research InstituteKansas City, MO | $15.9M |
Similar universities and medical schools
| # | Institution | Funding |
|---|---|---|
| 244 | University of New MexicoAlbuquerque, NM | $17.1M |
| 245 | Tufts University MedfordBoston, MA | $16.9M |
| 246 | University of Texas at ArlingtonArlington, TX | $16.9M |
| 251 | Louisiana State UniversityBaton Rouge, LA | $16.2M |
| 252 | George Mason UniversityFairfax, VA | $16.2M |
| 258 | Texas Tech University Health Sciences CenterLubbock, TX | $15.5M |
| 259 | Loma Linda UniversityLoma Linda, CA | $15.3M |
About these numbers
Source: the public NIH RePORTER API, refreshed October 16, 2026. See our data methodology and the guide to reading NIH funding rankings by university.
- Who is countedAwards made to NIH recipient organization code 819801. A university's medical school, affiliated hospital, or other campuses can be separate NIH recipients with their own totals.
- What is countedTotal award amount (direct plus indirect) obligated in each fiscal year for grants, cooperative agreements, training awards, SBIR/STTR, and R&D contracts. Subprojects, intramural research, and interagency agreements are excluded.
- InstitutesEach award is credited in full to its administering institute, even when other institutes co-fund it.
- SubawardsNIH reports the prime recipient only, so research this institution performs under another organization's grant is not included here.