NIH Alumni Network Launched to Promote Engagement and Professional Development

By: Jennifer Zeitzer
Thursday, May 28, 2026
On May 19, the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) launched a new NIH Alumni Network, offering former NIH staff opportunities for engagement and professional development and supporting the next generation of scientists. Per a press release from FNIH, “The goal is to strengthen the broader NIH community through mentoring, networking, and research collaboration.” 

The network will provide a members-only website that includes exclusive access to a directory for personal connections and professional collaborations, NIH research updates, mentoring opportunities, and scientific and professional development webinars. In addition, the website will include content from Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences (FAES), a section on the agency’s history, and information about NIH’s reach throughout the United States. Information about the NIH Alumni Network, including how to join, can be found here. An introductory video provides additional context behind the creation of the network.

Membership is free and open to former NIH staff, including federal employees, fellows, trainees, and on-site contractors. FNIH also plans to broaden the scope of the Alumni Network over time to include NIH grantees. “There’s no better time than now to tap into the knowledge, expertise, and commitment of NIH’s alumni to advance our shared mission,” said FNIH President and Chief Executive Officer Julie L. Gerberding, MD, MPH.

FNIH officials approached FASEB about sharing federation resources, given the close relationship between the two organizations and the long history of partnership. FASEB resources available behind the members only section of the NIH Alumni Network website include factsheets detailing the amount of federal funding and the number of grants each state receives from NIH and the federation’s new regional factsheets highlighting funding for National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Cancer Centers. The new factsheets provide a breakdown of the Cancer Center catchment areas, including the number of counties, congressional districts, and percentage of the population served in each of the five regions (Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, and West).