An official website of the United States government
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the nation’s medical research agency—making important discoveries that improve health and save lives.
Our mission
NIH’s mission is to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability.
Spotlight
$28.5 billion in health care costs saved
NIH-supported research on eye diseases has saved over $28.5 billion in health care costs for Americans and significantly reduced age-related forms of blindness.
Our impact
NIH works to turn scientific discoveries into better health for all. As the largest public funder of biomedical and behavioral research in the world, NIH is the driving force behind decades of advances that improve health, revolutionize science, and serve society more broadly.
Who we are
The National Institutes of Health (NIH), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the nation’s medical research agency.
Visit us
Find information on visiting NIH’s main campus in Bethesda, Maryland.
Contact us
Find information about how you can contact NIH if you are looking for information about NIH or NIH research, or are requesting an media interview