NIH Complement-AiRE Receives $150 Million Investment

By: Galen Cobb
Thursday, March 26, 2026
On March 18, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a $150 million investment into the Common Fund’s Complement Animal Research in Experimentation (Complement-AiRE) program and the first launch of awards funding program initiatives, which include:

• Five new approach methodologies (NAMs) Technology Development Centers developing NAMs in gynecological disorders, cardiac disease, neurological disorders, and rare diseases);
• A NAMs Data Hub and Coordinating Center (NDHCC) to create integrated data structures, standards for model credibility, and a searchable NAMs repository; and
• A validation and qualification network (VQN) to establish validation frameworks and accelerate regulatory implementation of NAMs. 

Details of the funded Complement-AiRE projects can be found at this webpage.

The Complement-AiRE program is supporting additional efforts through the VQN and Challenge Prizes. The VQN — organized by Foundation for NIH with over 40 government, industry, nonprofit, and regulatory organizations participating — has already selected four pilot projects focused on preterm birth, developmental neurotoxicity, inhalation toxicity, and acute oral toxicity. Complement-AiRE, in partnership with the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, also launched a $7 million NAMs Reduction to Practice Challenge, inviting research teams to demonstrate the viability of human-based NAMs with top submissions delivered to the VQN for further validation.