On February 7, President Bush unveiled his fiscal year 2006 budget request. The President's budget authority request for NIH totaled $28.740 billion, or 0.5 percent more than the FY 2005 budget. The President requested a 0.3 percent increase for the National Cancer Institute. The total request for NCI is $4.842 billion or $16.5 million more than the enacted budget for FY 2005. Of this increase, $12.8 million will be directed to the NIH Roadmap, bringing the total NCI contribution to the NIH Roadmap to $43.3 million.

All NCI funding mechanisms are projected to remain flat in the proposed budget. However, Research Project Grants (RPGs) will receive a slight increase to support the same approximate number of competing awards as in 2005. No inflationary increases are provided for direct, recurring costs in noncompeting RPGs and the average cost of competing RPGs will remain the same as in FY 2005. However, stipends and health benefits for postdoctoral trainees will increase.

The President's Budget will be presented before both the House and Senate during appropriation hearings.