NIH funding profile · Lexington, KY · Higher education
University of Kentucky NIH Funding
Reviewed by Dr. Meng ZhaoLast reviewed October 16, 2026Data refreshed October 16, 2026Editorial standards
University of Kentucky received $133.8M in NIH award funding in fiscal year 2026 across 227 award records and 233 principal investigators. That ranks #68 of 2,407 NIH-funded institutions and #1 in Kentucky, down 8.3% 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
$133.8M
−8.3% vs FY2025
National rank
#68
Down 3 places from #65 vs FY2025
Rank in Kentucky
#1
61.2% of Kentucky NIH funding
Awards · PIs
227
233 investigators · 55 new projects
NIH funding trend, FY2022–FY2026
University of Kentucky received $738.5M in NIH awards over these five fiscal years. Annual funding moved −13.8% from FY2022 to FY2026. Its best national rank in the period was #62 (FY2022).
NIH institutes funding University of Kentucky, FY2026
22 NIH institutes and centers administered awards here in FY2026. The largest, the National Institute on Aging (NIA), accounted for 16.4% of the institution's NIH funding across 31 awards.
- NIA · National Institute on Aging$22.0M · 16.4%
31 awards · vs FY2025: +7.5%
- NIDA · National Institute on Drug Abuse$19.8M · 14.8%
30 awards · vs FY2025: +29.8%
- NIGMS · National Institute of General Medical Sciences$14.6M · 10.9%
17 awards · vs FY2025: −2.3%
- NCI · National Cancer Institute$13.4M · 10.0%
28 awards · vs FY2025: −23.1%
- NHLBI · National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute$12.8M · 9.6%
22 awards · vs FY2025: +1.6%
- NIDDK · National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases$6.3M · 4.7%
13 awards · vs FY2025: −19.1%
- NINDS · National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke$6.1M · 4.6%
15 awards · vs FY2025: −47.6%
- NIDCR · National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research$5.3M · 4.0%
10 awards · vs FY2025: +0.0%
- NCATS · National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences$5.2M · 3.9%
4 awards · vs FY2025: +10.3%
- NIAMS · National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases$4.9M · 3.7%
11 awards · vs FY2025: +22.6%
Also: NIEHS $4.5M · NIAID $4.1M · NIMH $3.4M · NICHD $3.1M · OD $3.0M · NIAAA $2.0M · NIDCD $970K · NEI $607K · NIMHD $598K · NLM $579K · NHGRI $249K · NIBIB $75K
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 52.3% of funding.
- R01-equivalent52.3% · FY22 55.9%
- Centers & program projects (P)17.0% · FY22 11.6%
- Other research (R)13.7% · FY22 9.6%
- Cooperative agreements (U)9.6% · FY22 16.2%
- Career development (K)2.9% · FY22 2.3%
- Contracts (N)1.8% · FY22 1.9%
- Institutional training (T)1.6% · FY22 1.3%
- Other0.9% · FY22 0.8%
- Fellowships (F)0.2% · FY22 0.4%
Top activity codes, FY2026
| Code | Awards | Funding | Share | Average award |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R01 | 119 | $69.1M | 51.6% | $580K |
| P20 | 4 | $8.9M | 6.7% | $2.2M |
| P30 | 3 | $8.6M | 6.4% | $2.9M |
| R35 | 11 | $5.3M | 3.9% | $480K |
| R21 | 13 | $4.6M | 3.4% | $352K |
| UM1 | 1 | $4.0M | 3.0% | $4.0M |
| P01 | 1 | $4.0M | 3.0% | $4.0M |
| U54 | 1 | $3.8M | 2.8% | $3.8M |
| N01 | 1 | $2.4M | 1.8% | $2.4M |
| R00 | 9 | $2.2M | 1.6% | $244K |
| U01 | 3 | $2.2M | 1.6% | $726K |
| T32 | 10 | $2.1M | 1.6% | $213K |
Largest FY2026 awards
The biggest single award records by FY2026 dollars. Each links to its NIH RePORTER project page.
- University of Kentucky Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (opens NIH RePORTER)
2P30AG072946-06 · NIA
$4.4MP30
- Kentucky Center for Clinical and Translational Science (opens NIH RePORTER)
1UM1TR006383-01 · NCATS
$4.0MUM1
- Strategies for targeting astrocyte reactivity in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (opens NIH RePORTER)
5P01AG078116-05 · NIA
$4.0MP01
- Appalachian Tobacco Regulatory Science Team (AppalTRuST) (opens NIH RePORTER)
5U54DA058256-04 · NIDA
$3.8MU54
- University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center – Cancer Center Support Grant (opens NIH RePORTER)
5P30CA177558-14 · NCI
$2.7MP30
- ADHD and its Cognition and Affective Mechanisms During Adolescence (opens NIH RePORTER)
1R01MH143819-01 · NIMH
$2.7MR01
Recently started projects
The latest new (Type 1) FY2026 awards by notice date, out of 55 new projects NIH funded here this year.
- Targeting Lactylation of Critical Drivers in Neuroendocrine Prostate Cancer for Therapy (opens NIH RePORTER)
1R37CA311186-01 · NCI · Notice Sep 23, 2026
$453KR37
- Discovery of exposome-associated asthma genetic variants and endotypes based on enhancer architecture (opens NIH RePORTER)
1R01HL181559-01A1 · NHLBI · Notice Sep 18, 2026
$1.5MR01
- INSPIRED: Implementation of Novel Strategies to Promote Improvements in Referrals and Engagement for DSMES (opens NIH RePORTER)
1R01DK149733-01 · NIDDK · Notice Sep 14, 2026
$683KR01
- CTSA Postdoctoral T32 at the University of Kentucky (opens NIH RePORTER)
1T32TR006370-01 · NCATS · Notice Sep 14, 2026
$209KT32
- Effects of the Orexin Dual Receptor Antagonist Suvorexant on Cannabis Withdrawal and Self-Administration: a Controlled Inpatient Human Laboratory Study in People with Cannabis Use Disorder (opens NIH RePORTER)
1R01DA065557-01 · NIDA · Notice Sep 11, 2026
$612KR01
- Emerging Role of GPRC6a Variants in Alzheimer’s disease and Tauopathies (opens NIH RePORTER)
1R01AG100290-01 · NIA · Notice Sep 9, 2026
$647KR01
Other NIH-funded institutions in Kentucky
| # | Institution | Funding |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of KentuckyLexington, KY | $133.8M |
| 2 | University of LouisvilleLouisville, KY | $75.0M |
Nearby in the national ranking
| # | Institution | Funding |
|---|---|---|
| 65 | Medical University of South CarolinaCharleston, SC | $139.6M |
| 66 | Medical College of WisconsinMilwaukee, WI | $138.8M |
| 67 | University of California, BerkeleyBerkeley, CA | $138.8M |
| 68 | University of KentuckyLexington, KY | $133.8M |
| 69 | UT Health San AntonioSan Antonio, TX | $131.4M |
| 70 | Brown UniversityProvidence, RI | $128.6M |
| 71 | Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, TN | $123.0M |
Similar universities and medical schools
| # | Institution | Funding |
|---|---|---|
| 65 | Medical University of South CarolinaCharleston, SC | $139.6M |
| 66 | Medical College of WisconsinMilwaukee, WI | $138.8M |
| 67 | University of California, BerkeleyBerkeley, CA | $138.8M |
| 68 | University of KentuckyLexington, KY | $133.8M |
| 69 | UT Health San AntonioSan Antonio, TX | $131.4M |
| 70 | Brown UniversityProvidence, RI | $128.6M |
| 71 | Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, TN | $123.0M |
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 2793601. 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.