The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing earned the highest amount of National Institutes of Health funding among nursing schools nationwide this past fiscal year.
The Nursing School received $17.9 million in NIH awards in 2025, reclaiming the top spot for the first time since fiscal year 2019. The funds supported a wide variety of research projects — including those studying artificial intelligence based fall prevention interventions, digital HIV interventions for at-risk youth, and new telehealth tools.
“Being ranked first in NIH funding among all schools of nursing underscores the vital role our faculty have in improving health,” Dean of the Nursing School Antonia Villarruel wrote. “From exploring the complexities of opioid behavior to leveraging telehealth, our faculty and students are turning rigorous discovery into practical, clinical applications.”
“This achievement belongs to our entire community, whose dedication ensures that Penn Nursing remains at the forefront of clinical excellence and transformative research,” the statement continued.
Annual NIH funding granted to the School of Nursing increased by over $6 million since fiscal year 2019. As a whole, Penn also consistently ranks among the top NIH-funded institutions — in 2024, the University received over $1 billion in federal research funding across its graduate and undergraduate schools.
“I think this obviously reflects the dedication of faculty, staff and trainees who are committed to advancing science,” Nursing School Associate Dean for Research and Innovation George Demiris told The Daily Pennsylvanian.
He added that the Nursing School’s research portfolio highlights “intentionally interdisciplinary” partnerships and emphasizes “emerging priorities,” such as aging, health technology, patient and family needs, and care delivery outcomes.
Demiris described how increased grant support resources contribute to the Nursing School’s funding outcomes.
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“We do a lot of mock reviews and workshop ideas with faculty long before they submit an actual grant application … to ensure that they received extensive feedback from the community, internally within the school,” he said.
In February 2025, the NIH implemented a cap on indirect funds that would cost Penn $240 million and have widespread ramifications for research University-wide. That year, more than 2,400 grants were terminated or frozen, representing approximately $2.3 billion in unspent funds.
A judge ordered the NIH to restore roughly 800 grants in June 2025. Last month, a federal appeals court ruled that the proposed funding cap unconstitutional.
The NIH’s total annual budget is approximately $48 billion. Funding is awarded through a competitive peer-review process to over 2,500 universities, medical schools, and research institutions across the country.
“We’re trying to address the most pressing health challenges, not just through academic or theoretical exercises, but solutions that will actually translate into the real world and make a difference in the real world,” Demiris said.
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Senior reporter Saanvi Ram covers undergraduate sciences and can be reached at ram@thedp.com. At Penn, she studies health and societies. Follow her on X @Saanvi_vivi.
