NIH funding profile · Boulder, CO · Higher education
University of Colorado Boulder NIH Funding
Also known as CU BoulderNIH RePORTER recipient name: University of Colorado
Reviewed by Dr. Meng ZhaoLast reviewed October 16, 2026Data refreshed October 16, 2026Editorial standards
University of Colorado Boulder received $65.4M in NIH award funding in fiscal year 2026 across 148 award records and 139 principal investigators. That ranks #115 of 2,407 NIH-funded institutions and #2 in Colorado, up 3.6% from FY2025.
Part of University of Colorado. See its combined NIH funding across every member NIH records separately.
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
$65.4M
+3.6% vs FY2025
National rank
#115
Up 6 places from #121 vs FY2025
Rank in Colorado
#2
11.5% of Colorado NIH funding
Awards · PIs
148
139 investigators · 36 new projects
NIH funding trend, FY2022–FY2026
University of Colorado Boulder received $302.9M in NIH awards over these five fiscal years. Annual funding moved +22.8% from FY2022 to FY2026. Its best national rank in the period was #115 (FY2026).
| Year | Funding | Change | Awards | PIs | U.S. rank | CO rank | Top IC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | $65.4M | +3.6% | 148 | 139 | #115 | #2 | NIGMS |
| FY2025 | $63.1M | +4.2% | 143 | 130 | #121 | #2 | NIGMS |
| FY2024 | $60.6M | −0.1% | 157 | 138 | #126 | #2 | NIGMS |
| FY2023 | $60.6M | +13.8% | 163 | 135 | #129 | #2 | NIGMS |
| FY2022 | $53.3M | — | 156 | 127 | #140 | #2 | NIGMS |
NIH institutes funding University of Colorado Boulder, FY2026
18 NIH institutes and centers administered awards here in FY2026. The largest, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), accounted for 28.5% of the institution's NIH funding across 41 awards.
- NIGMS · National Institute of General Medical Sciences$18.6M · 28.5%
41 awards · vs FY2025: +8.7%
- NIA · National Institute on Aging$9.9M · 15.2%
18 awards · vs FY2025: +27.6%
- NIMH · National Institute of Mental Health$6.3M · 9.6%
13 awards · vs FY2025: +9.6%
- NIDA · National Institute on Drug Abuse$4.7M · 7.2%
8 awards · vs FY2025: −13.3%
- NIAID · National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases$4.3M · 6.5%
9 awards · vs FY2025: +8.6%
- NIAMS · National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases$4.1M · 6.3%
10 awards · vs FY2025: +50.9%
- NICHD · Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development$3.6M · 5.5%
8 awards · vs FY2025: −26.2%
- NHLBI · National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute$3.3M · 5.1%
7 awards · vs FY2025: +0.6%
- NCI · National Cancer Institute$2.7M · 4.1%
7 awards · vs FY2025: +15.6%
- NINDS · National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke$2.0M · 3.1%
7 awards · vs FY2025: +48.9%
Also: NIBIB $1.8M · NIDDK $1.3M · OD $1.1M · NHGRI $572K · NEI $447K · NIAAA $315K · NLM $100K · NIDCD $46K
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 54.0% of funding.
- R01-equivalent54.0% · FY22 60.0%
- Other research (R)31.5% · FY22 19.3%
- Institutional training (T)3.7% · FY22 3.4%
- Centers & program projects (P)3.1% · FY22 1.5%
- Cooperative agreements (U)3.0% · FY22 7.4%
- Other2.5% · FY22 4.6%
- Career development (K)1.2% · FY22 1.9%
- Fellowships (F)1.0% · FY22 2.0%
Top activity codes, FY2026
| Code | Awards | Funding | Share | Average award |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R01 | 59 | $34.7M | 53.1% | $589K |
| R35 | 24 | $11.6M | 17.8% | $484K |
| R21 | 15 | $4.1M | 6.3% | $274K |
| R00 | 9 | $2.2M | 3.4% | $245K |
| T32 | 6 | $2.1M | 3.2% | $348K |
| R33 | 3 | $1.8M | 2.8% | $604K |
| P50 | 1 | $1.8M | 2.7% | $1.8M |
| U01 | 1 | $1.6M | 2.5% | $1.6M |
| DP1 | 1 | $1.1M | 1.7% | $1.1M |
| R25 | 4 | $844K | 1.3% | $211K |
| R56 | 1 | $539K | 0.8% | $539K |
| F31 | 11 | $445K | 0.7% | $40K |
Largest FY2026 awards
The biggest single award records by FY2026 dollars. Each links to its NIH RePORTER project page.
- Biophysical mechanism and synthetic engineering of optically controlled Ca2+-powered supramolecular engines (opens NIH RePORTER)
2R35GM142588-06 · NIGMS
$2.2MR35
- Differential Diagnosis in Learning Disabilities (opens NIH RePORTER)
5P50HD027802-34 · NICHD
$1.8MP50
- 14/21 ABCD-USA Consortium: Research Project Site at CU Boulder (opens NIH RePORTER)
5U01DA051018-07 · NIDA
$1.6MU01
- Programmable Microvesicles for Intracellular Macromolecule Delivery (opens NIH RePORTER)
2R01GM144749-05 · NIGMS
$1.4MR01
- Breaking the Barrier to an HIV Vaccine (opens NIH RePORTER)
5DP1AI175471-05 · NIAID
$1.1MDP1
- Understanding the links between parental and adolescent substance use:complementary natural experiments using the children of twins design (opens NIH RePORTER)
5R01DA054087-05 · NIDA
$1.0MR01
Recently started projects
The latest new (Type 1) FY2026 awards by notice date, out of 36 new projects NIH funded here this year.
- Randomized Trial of a Novel Intervention to Increase Endocrine Therapy Adherence among Depressed Breast Cancer Survivors (opens NIH RePORTER)
1R01CA303943-01A1 · NCI · Notice Sep 17, 2026
$653KR01
- Remodeling of the osteocyte pericellular matrix during unloading (opens NIH RePORTER)
1R21AR088260-01 · NIAMS · Notice Sep 17, 2026
$158KR21
- SCH: Speech-based Technologies to Detect and Improve Interprofessional Team Behaviors in Cardiac Surgery (opens NIH RePORTER)
1R01HL192754-01 · NHLBI · Notice Sep 14, 2026
$330KR01
- Targeting cellular senescence with fisetin for improving vascular endothelial function in older adults (opens NIH RePORTER)
1R01AG094826-01A1 · NIA · Notice Sep 9, 2026
$810KR01
- Individualized treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) through local drug activation at disease sites: Treating OA where, and only where, it is needed (opens NIH RePORTER)
1R21AR086442-01A1 · NIAMS · Notice Sep 4, 2026
$368KR21
- De novo design of pro domains for TGF superfamily folding, expression, and function (opens NIH RePORTER)
1R21EB038419-01A1 · NIBIB · Notice Sep 2, 2026
$190KR21
Other NIH-funded institutions in Colorado
| # | Institution | Funding |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusAurora, CO | $363.6M |
| 2 | University of Colorado BoulderBoulder, CO | $65.4M |
| 3 | Colorado State UniversityFort Collins, CO | $58.6M |
| 4 | National Jewish HealthDenver, CO | $36.5M |
Nearby in the national ranking
| # | Institution | Funding |
|---|---|---|
| 112 | Allen InstituteSeattle, WA | $70.0M |
| 113 | Thomas Jefferson UniversityPhiladelphia, PA | $70.0M |
| 114 | Boston University (Charles River Campus)Boston, MA | $68.2M |
| 115 | University of Colorado BoulderBoulder, CO | $65.4M |
| 116 | Wayne State UniversityDetroit, MI | $64.9M |
| 117 | Princeton UniversityPrinceton, NJ | $64.6M |
| 118 | University of South CarolinaColumbia, SC | $63.3M |
Similar universities and medical schools
| # | Institution | Funding |
|---|---|---|
| 111 | Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health SciencesEast Lansing, MI | $73.9M |
| 113 | Thomas Jefferson UniversityPhiladelphia, PA | $70.0M |
| 114 | Boston University (Charles River Campus)Boston, MA | $68.2M |
| 115 | University of Colorado BoulderBoulder, CO | $65.4M |
| 116 | Wayne State UniversityDetroit, MI | $64.9M |
| 117 | Princeton UniversityPrinceton, NJ | $64.6M |
| 118 | University of South CarolinaColumbia, SC | $63.3M |
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 1199902 (University of Colorado). 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.