Approved Bill Creates NCATS and Funds Cures Acceleration Network
AAMC Government Relations reports that the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the FY 2012 funding bill for NIH and other HHS agencies on September 21, after the Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee approved the bill on September 20. According to a summary released by the committee, the bill includes $30.5 billion for NIH, a decrease of $190 million (or 0.6 percent) from the FY 2011 level. The bill also provides $20 million for the Cures Acceleration Network (CAN) at NIH, which activates its authorization. The summary states, “The bill creates the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) as part of a broader restructuring at NIH that also includes the termination of the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR).”