Network of U.S. biomedical engineers calls to end funding discrimination January 26, 2021 SHARE According to studies of National Institutes of Health research funding allocations, Black applicant award rates have stood at about 55 percent of that of white principal investigators of similar academic achievement. A group of biomedical engineers is bringing to the forefront the issue of federal funding inequity. (Image: Shutterstock) Representatives from a network of women deans, chairs and distinguished faculty in biomedical engineering — including two from Washington University in St. Louis — are calling upon the National Institutes of Health and other funding agencies to address disparities in allocating support to Black researchers.