Institutions in Kentucky received $263.5M in NIH funding in fiscal year 2026 across 476 awards, #29 among states. University of Kentucky received the most, $157.9M, and the NIGMS was the largest funding institute.
| Rank | Institution | Awards | NIH funding |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Kentucky | 293 | $157.9M |
| 2 | University of Louisville | 163 | $95.6M |
| 3 | Xleratehealth, Llc | 1 | $1.3M |
| 4 | Aquilo Sports, Llc | 1 | $1.1M |
| 5 | Ralphvr Inc. | 1 | $1.1M |
| 6 | Wicked Sheets, Llc | 1 | $1.0M |
| 7 | Pgxl Technologies, Llc | 1 | $958K |
| 8 | Northern Kentucky University | 2 | $662K |
| 9 | Lagrange Scientific, Llc | 1 | $582K |
| 10 | Paratechs Corp. | 1 | $535K |
| 11 | Morehead State University | 1 | $526K |
| 12 | Western Kentucky University | 3 | $503K |
| 13 | Tele-Stethoscope Inc. | 1 | $406K |
| 14 | University of Pikeville | 1 | $351K |
| 15 | Creosalus, Inc. | 1 | $314K |
| 16 | Bioptics Imaging Llc | 1 | $295K |
| 17 | Murray State University | 2 | $273K |
| 18 | Kentucky Wesleyan College | 1 | $137K |
| Institute | Focus | Funding |
|---|---|---|
| NIGMS | basic biomedical science and research training | $57.5M |
| NIA | aging and Alzheimer's disease | $33.0M |
| NIDA | addiction and substance use | $23.6M |
| NCI | cancer | $22.2M |
| NHLBI | heart, lung, blood and sleep | $21.3M |
| NIAID | infectious disease, immunology and allergy | $14.7M |
| NIEHS | environmental health | $14.6M |
| OD | cross-NIH programs | $10.6M |
| NINDS | neurology and stroke | $10.6M |
| NIDDK | diabetes, digestive and kidney disease | $8.3M |
NIH awards to Kentucky institutions moved from $274.2M in fiscal year 2025 to $263.5M in 2026, a change of -3.9% against -0.3% nationally.
| Institution | FY2025 | FY2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Kentucky | $168.6M | $157.9M | -6.3% |
| Wicked Sheets, Llc | $1.5M | $1.0M | -29.1% |
| Murray State University | $675K | $273K | -59.6% |
| Western Kentucky University | $886K | $503K | -43.2% |
| Creosalus, Inc. | $682K | $314K | -53.9% |
| University of Louisville | $93.5M | $95.6M | +2.3% |
| Northern Kentucky University | $386K | $662K | +71.5% |
| Lagrange Scientific, Llc | $539K | $582K | +8.1% |
| Pgxl Technologies, Llc | $961K | $958K | -0.4% |
| Paratechs Corp. | $561K | $535K | -4.6% |
Largest decreases first, then largest increases. Every state compared.
See Kentucky university research spending (all sources, NSF HERD) and every federal funder.
Kentucky is #29 on NIH funding by state.