NLM’s sponsorship of research in biomedical informatics (1985–2016)

The U.S. National Library of Medicine’s (NLM) funding for biomedical informatics research in the 1980s and 1990s focused on clinical decision support systems, which were also the focus of research for Donald A.B. Lindberg M.D. prior to becoming NLM’s director. The portfolio of projects expanded over the years. At NLM, Dr. Lindberg supported various large infrastructure programs that enabled biomedical informatics research, as well as investigator-initiated research projects that increasingly included biotechnology/bioinformatics and health services research. The authors review NLM’s sponsorship of research during Dr. Lindberg’s tenure as its Director. NLM’s funding significantly increased in the 2000’s and beyond. Authors report an analysis of R01 topics from 1985–2016 using data from NIH RePORTER. Dr. Lindberg’s legacy for biomedical informatics research is reflected by the research NLM supported under his leadership. The number of R01s remained steady over the years, but the funds provided within awards increased over time. A significant amount of NLM funds listed in RePORTER went into various types of infrastructure projects that laid a solid foundation for biomedical informatics research over multiple decades.