PHILADELPHIA –- A White House report analyzing the impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on innovation, science and technology has drawn praise from United for Medical Research.

UMR is a coalition of research institutions, patient and health advocates and private industry seeking steady increases in federal funding for the National Institutes of Health.

Steven J. Fluharty, spokesperson for UMR and senior vice provost for research at the University of Pennsylvania, confirmed the Recovery Act’s impact.

“Today’s White House report reaffirms the bold impact the Recovery Act funds will continue to have on our nation’s health and economic well being,” Fluharty said.  “These funds are not only accelerating scientists’ and researchers’ pursuit to unlock treatments, cures and preventive methods for combating some of our nation’s most devastating diseases but also spurring vital job growth in the life-sciences industry.  In fact, some of the large-scale stimulus-funded projects are anticipated to yield results in just two years.

“Stimulus funds,” he said, “will give the NIH the ability to fund dozens of different types of cancer research, increasing the number of Americans benefiting from the Cancer Genome Project from 300,000 to a whopping 10 million.

Fluharty said that “these projected enhancements in our ability to make lifesaving and economically beneficial discoveries would not have been possible without our government’s investment in the promise of science, innovation and technology.”

Referring to remarks by Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., who released the White House report, Fluharty said that, “while government has planted the seeds, it is the private sector’s capacity to nourish the seeds to grow that makes these advancements a reality.”

Earlier this year, United for Medical Research released a similar report showcasing how the Recovery Act funds are being utilized in the service of better health and a healthier economy. The report, “Investing in Recovery and Discovery,” is available at www.investingindiscovery.com/#/resources.

The groups composing UMR are the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Diabetes Association, the American Heart Association, the Association of American Universities, the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities, the Biotechnology Industry Organization, Emory University, Genentech, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Life Technologies, the National Health Council, PhRMA, Research!America, Stanford University, the Endocrine Society, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California and Washington University in St. Louis.

Additional information about UMR is available at www.unitedformedicalresearch.com.