NIH funding profile · Nashville, TN · Higher education
Vanderbilt University NIH Funding
Reviewed by Dr. Meng ZhaoLast reviewed October 16, 2026Data refreshed October 16, 2026Editorial standards
Vanderbilt University received $123.0M in NIH award funding in fiscal year 2026 across 321 award records and 303 principal investigators. That ranks #71 of 2,407 NIH-funded institutions and #2 in Tennessee, down 7.2% from FY2025.
Part of Vanderbilt University and VUMC. 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
$123.0M
−7.2% vs FY2025
National rank
#71
Unchanged vs FY2025
Rank in Tennessee
#2
17.3% of Tennessee NIH funding
Awards · PIs
321
303 investigators · 72 new projects
NIH funding trend, FY2022–FY2026
Vanderbilt University received $626.5M in NIH awards over these five fiscal years. Annual funding moved −3.4% from FY2022 to FY2026. Its best national rank in the period was #71 (FY2025).
NIH institutes funding Vanderbilt University, FY2026
21 NIH institutes and centers administered awards here in FY2026. The largest, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), accounted for 27.2% of the institution's NIH funding across 74 awards.
- NIGMS · National Institute of General Medical Sciences$33.5M · 27.2%
74 awards · vs FY2025: +16.5%
- NIMH · National Institute of Mental Health$12.4M · 10.0%
34 awards · vs FY2025: −5.1%
- NIDDK · National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases$10.2M · 8.3%
30 awards · vs FY2025: +2.4%
- NCI · National Cancer Institute$10.0M · 8.1%
29 awards · vs FY2025: −37.3%
- NINDS · National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke$8.2M · 6.7%
23 awards · vs FY2025: −10.1%
- NIA · National Institute on Aging$7.6M · 6.2%
22 awards · vs FY2025: −25.9%
- NIAID · National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases$6.3M · 5.1%
28 awards · vs FY2025: +22.6%
- NHLBI · National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute$5.6M · 4.6%
15 awards · vs FY2025: −4.7%
- NIDA · National Institute on Drug Abuse$5.1M · 4.1%
11 awards · vs FY2025: −17.8%
- NICHD · Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development$3.9M · 3.2%
10 awards · vs FY2025: −39.1%
Also: NIBIB $3.9M · NIAAA $3.8M · NEI $3.8M · NIDCD $2.3M · NIAMS $2.2M · OD $1.7M · NIEHS $1.6M · NLM $509K · NIDCR $310K · NIMHD $218K · NINR $42K
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 54.5% of funding.
- R01-equivalent54.5% · FY22 56.7%
- Other research (R)23.5% · FY22 16.6%
- Institutional training (T)7.7% · FY22 9.1%
- Cooperative agreements (U)5.7% · FY22 8.5%
- Centers & program projects (P)3.1% · FY22 2.5%
- Fellowships (F)2.9% · FY22 2.4%
- Other2.1% · FY22 3.4%
- Career development (K)0.5% · FY22 0.9%
Top activity codes, FY2026
| Code | Awards | Funding | Share | Average award |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R01 | 113 | $64.9M | 52.8% | $574K |
| R35 | 52 | $21.6M | 17.5% | $415K |
| T32 | 22 | $9.0M | 7.3% | $407K |
| U01 | 5 | $5.6M | 4.6% | $1.1M |
| R21 | 10 | $3.4M | 2.7% | $335K |
| F31 | 61 | $2.3M | 1.9% | $38K |
| P01 | 1 | $2.1M | 1.7% | $2.1M |
| P60 | 1 | $1.8M | 1.4% | $1.8M |
| S10 | 2 | $1.4M | 1.1% | $705K |
| R25 | 5 | $1.2M | 1.0% | $249K |
| DP1 | 2 | $951K | 0.8% | $476K |
| F30 | 19 | $839K | 0.7% | $44K |
Largest FY2026 awards
The biggest single award records by FY2026 dollars. Each links to its NIH RePORTER project page.
- 6/6 HBCD Prenatal Experiences and Longitudinal Development (PRELUDE) Consortium Vanderbilt (opens NIH RePORTER)
4U01DA055347-06 · NIDA
$2.4MU01
- exRNA in colorectal carcinoma: biogenesis and function (opens NIH RePORTER)
2P01CA229123-06A1 · NCI
$2.1MP01
- Single Cell Methods for Bioeffector Discovery and Analysis (opens NIH RePORTER)
4R01CA226833-08 · NCI
$1.9MR01
- Vanderbilt AUD Research and Education Center (VAREC) (opens NIH RePORTER)
5P60AA031124-03 · NIAAA
$1.8MP60
- Light and Electron Microscopic Dual-visible Genetically Encoded Tags for Molecular Resolution 3D Cell Imaging (opens NIH RePORTER)
1R01GM166835-01 · NIGMS
$1.7MR01
- Medical Scientist Training Program (opens NIH RePORTER)
5T32GM152284-03 · NIGMS
$1.6MT32
Recently started projects
The latest new (Type 1) FY2026 awards by notice date, out of 72 new projects NIH funded here this year.
- Improved Ultrasound for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Screening (opens NIH RePORTER)
1R01CA306353-01A1 · NCI · Notice Sep 10, 2026
$635KR01
- Accelerating early diagnosis and risk assessment with multimodal AI for lung cancer care (opens NIH RePORTER)
1K99CA307870-01A1 · NCI · Notice Sep 8, 2026
$108KK99
- Defining the Involvement of Thalamocortical Networks in Reading (opens NIH RePORTER)
1F31HD121355-01A1 · NICHD · Notice Sep 8, 2026
$36KF31
- Design and implementation of siRNA conjugates as tools for CNS cell-specific gene modulation (opens NIH RePORTER)
1R56EB040350-01 · NIBIB · Notice Sep 2, 2026
$708KR56
- Exploratory evaluation of labor-associated inflammatory profiles in low-risk nulliparous subgroups during induced and spontaneous labor (opens NIH RePORTER)
1R21MD021640-01 · NIMHD · Notice Sep 1, 2026
$218KR21
- Tuft cells resolve pancreatic injury through a Type 2 Immune circuit (opens NIH RePORTER)
1R01DK145538-01A1 · NIDDK · Notice Aug 28, 2026
$781KR01
Other NIH-funded institutions in Tennessee
| # | Institution | Funding |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, TN | $378.8M |
| 2 | Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, TN | $123.0M |
| 3 | St. Jude Children's Research HospitalMemphis, TN | $118.5M |
| 4 | University of Tennessee Health Science CenterMemphis, TN | $38.6M |
| 5 | Meharry Medical CollegeNashville, TN | $14.8M |
| 6 | University of Tennessee, KnoxvilleKnoxville, TN | $10.2M |
Nearby in the national ranking
| # | Institution | Funding |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 72 | Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of CWRUCleveland, OH | $119.7M |
| 73 | Cedars-Sinai Medical CenterLos Angeles, CA | $119.2M |
| 74 | St. Jude Children's Research HospitalMemphis, TN | $118.5M |
Similar universities and medical schools
| # | Institution | Funding |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 72 | Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of CWRUCleveland, OH | $119.7M |
| 75 | Virginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmond, VA | $115.7M |
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 8721001. 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.