ABSTRACT
Howard G. Rush, D.V.M., Mary S. Freer, B.B.A., and Patricia A. Ward, LATG
The ability to conduct biomedical research depends on the availability of funds to perform the work. Without a source of funds, investigators cannot hire personnel, purchase the equipment and supplies, purchase the animals, or conduct the experiments. An investigator must identify a source of funds in order to do research. In the private sector, companies set aside research and development funds to conduct research as a normal part of business in order to discover and evaluate new products that have the potential for success in the marketplace or to further develop existing products. In public institutions and research institutes, funds to conduct research are acquired primarily through grants, contracts, or gifts from sources outside the institution. In academic institutions in the United States, the five main sources of funds for biomedical research are the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the military, private industry, and private foundations (1).
