US-National Institutes of Health-funded research for cutaneous wounds in 2012

Chronic cutaneous wounds are a major burden on patients, healthcare providers, and the US healthcare system. This study, carried out in part by the Wound Healing Society's Government Regulatory Committee, aimed to evaluate the current state of National Institutes of Health funding of cutaneous wound healing-related research projects. National Institutes of Health Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools Expenditures & Results system was used to identify wound healing projects funded by the National Institutes of Health in the 2012 fiscal year. Research projects focusing on cutaneous wound prevention/education, mechanisms, complications, treatment, or imaging/monitoring were included in the analysis. Ninety-one projects were identified, totaling a collective funding of $29,798,991 and median funding of $308,941. Thirteen institutes/centers from the National Institutes of Health were responsible for awarding funds; three of which (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) accounted for 60.4% of the grant funding. The predominant funding mechanisms included R01 (48.3%), R43 (14.3%), and R21 (9.9%). New applications and pre-existing applications accounted for 39.6 and 55.0% of the awarded grants, respectively. Grants awarded to investigators affiliated with universities accounted for 68.1% of grants and 25.3% were to investigators in the private sector. This analysis of current National Institutes of Health funding may facilitate more transparency of National Institutes of Health-allocated research funds and serve as an impetus to procure additional support for the field of wound healing.