NIH funding profile · Richmond, VA · Higher education
Virginia Commonwealth University NIH Funding
Also known as VCU
Reviewed by Dr. Meng ZhaoLast reviewed October 16, 2026Data refreshed October 16, 2026Editorial standards
Virginia Commonwealth University received $115.7M in NIH award funding in fiscal year 2026 across 239 award records and 251 principal investigators. That ranks #75 of 2,407 NIH-funded institutions and #2 in Virginia, down 2.3% 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
$115.7M
−2.3% vs FY2025
National rank
#75
Up 2 places from #77 vs FY2025
Rank in Virginia
#2
19.4% of Virginia NIH funding
Awards · PIs
239
251 investigators · 49 new projects
NIH funding trend, FY2022–FY2026
Virginia Commonwealth University received $558.9M in NIH awards over these five fiscal years. Annual funding moved +9.8% from FY2022 to FY2026. Its best national rank in the period was #75 (FY2026).
NIH institutes funding Virginia Commonwealth University, FY2026
19 NIH institutes and centers administered awards here in FY2026. The largest, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), accounted for 20.3% of the institution's NIH funding across 38 awards.
- NCI · National Cancer Institute$23.5M · 20.3%
38 awards · vs FY2025: −10.3%
- NIDA · National Institute on Drug Abuse$17.7M · 15.3%
38 awards · vs FY2025: −6.3%
- NIDDK · National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases$7.9M · 6.9%
19 awards · vs FY2025: −17.8%
- NCATS · National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences$7.1M · 6.2%
5 awards · vs FY2025: +26.6%
- NIAAA · National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism$6.6M · 5.7%
16 awards · vs FY2025: −4.6%
- NIDCR · National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research$6.2M · 5.4%
19 awards · vs FY2025: −11.4%
- NIA · National Institute on Aging$6.1M · 5.3%
9 awards · vs FY2025: +27.3%
- NIAID · National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases$6.1M · 5.3%
13 awards · vs FY2025: −8.4%
- NINDS · National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke$5.9M · 5.1%
13 awards · vs FY2025: −5.1%
- NHLBI · National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute$5.4M · 4.7%
16 awards · vs FY2025: −7.4%
Also: NIAMS $5.1M · NIMH $5.0M · NICHD $4.9M · NIGMS $4.8M · NEI $1.6M · NIBIB $566K · OD $489K · NIEHS $427K · NIMHD $61K
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 54.9% of funding.
- R01-equivalent54.9% · FY22 50.9%
- Cooperative agreements (U)16.0% · FY22 19.7%
- Other research (R)11.6% · FY22 14.0%
- Centers & program projects (P)7.5% · FY22 6.2%
- Career development (K)5.2% · FY22 3.9%
- Institutional training (T)2.8% · FY22 1.8%
- Other1.0% · FY22 0.0%
- Fellowships (F)1.0% · FY22 1.5%
- Contracts (N)0.0% · FY22 2.1%
Top activity codes, FY2026
| Code | Awards | Funding | Share | Average award |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R01 | 108 | $60.5M | 52.3% | $560K |
| U01 | 9 | $6.4M | 5.5% | $706K |
| UM1 | 1 | $3.9M | 3.4% | $3.9M |
| R21 | 12 | $3.7M | 3.2% | $309K |
| T32 | 9 | $3.3M | 2.8% | $362K |
| P30 | 2 | $3.0M | 2.6% | $1.5M |
| P50 | 3 | $3.0M | 2.6% | $992K |
| UG1 | 2 | $2.8M | 2.4% | $1.4M |
| P01 | 1 | $2.6M | 2.3% | $2.6M |
| K12 | 5 | $2.3M | 2.0% | $461K |
| RC2 | 1 | $2.1M | 1.9% | $2.1M |
| R56 | 5 | $2.1M | 1.8% | $418K |
Largest FY2026 awards
The biggest single award records by FY2026 dollars. Each links to its NIH RePORTER project page.
- Wright Regional Center for Clinical and Translational Science (opens NIH RePORTER)
5UM1TR004360-04 · NCATS
$3.9MUM1
- ExpLoiting thErapeutic VulnerAbilities in hepaTocEllular carcinoma (ELEVATE) (opens NIH RePORTER)
5P01CA275740-03 · NCI
$2.6MP01
- Virginia Accountable Health Engagement and Action Dashboard: Community Framing of Health Data to Support Clinical Translational Science (opens NIH RePORTER)
4RC2TR005115-03 · NCATS
$2.1MRC2
- A Hospital-based Intervention for Youth Injured through Violence (opens NIH RePORTER)
4R01HD112416-02 · NICHD
$1.9MR01
- The Virginia Advancing Cancer Control Engaged Research through Transformative Solutions Center (opens NIH RePORTER)
5U19CA291433-03 · NCI
$1.8MU19
- Modulating growth, progression and metastasis in breast cancer by inhibiting MDA-9 (opens NIH RePORTER)
4R01CA280194-03 · NCI
$1.8MR01
Recently started projects
The latest new (Type 1) FY2026 awards by notice date, out of 49 new projects NIH funded here this year.
- Functional dissection of a novel E2 complex critical for the HPV16 life cycle (opens NIH RePORTER)
1R56AI189822-01A1 · NIAID · Notice Sep 17, 2026
$768KR56
- Role of Extracellular Vesicles in Osteogenesis (opens NIH RePORTER)
1R01AR086251-01A1 · NIAMS · Notice Sep 17, 2026
$444KR01
- Live-attenuated replication defective cytomegalovirus vaccine for preventing congenital infection and birth defects (opens NIH RePORTER)
1R01AI201594-01 · NIAID · Notice Sep 16, 2026
$756KR01
- Helping adolescents THRIVE: Feasibility trial of a brief digital Trauma-informed Hospital-based Risk reduction Intervention for ViolencE (opens NIH RePORTER)
1K23HD113869-01A1 · NICHD · Notice Sep 14, 2026
$175KK23
- Role of Wnt Signaling in Macrophage Response to Metallic Biomaterials (opens NIH RePORTER)
1R56AR087784-01 · NIAMS · Notice Sep 10, 2026
$536KR56
- Developing a Practical Wearable Vibration Platform for Neurological Rehabilitation (opens NIH RePORTER)
1R21EB038567-01 · NIBIB · Notice Sep 7, 2026
$225KR21
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 75 | Virginia Commonwealth UniversityRichmond, VA | $115.7M |
| 76 | Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA | $113.5M |
| 77 | Seattle Children's HospitalSeattle, WA | $113.1M |
| 78 | University of South FloridaTampa, FL | $113.0M |
Similar universities and medical schools
| # | Institution | Funding |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 76 | Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA | $113.5M |
| 78 | University of South FloridaTampa, FL | $113.0M |
| 79 | University of Kansas Medical CenterKansas City, KS | $111.6M |
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 353201. 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.