The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has suspended consideration of new grant applications, hindering decisions regarding the allocation of millions in funding for crucial research on diseases such as heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and allergies.
This funding freeze has been initiated following a directive from the Trump administration, which has barred the NIH from publishing new notices in the Federal Register—a necessary step for many federal meetings.
The halt has resulted in the cancellation of meetings intended to assess thousands of grant proposals, with approximately 16,000 applications for about $1.5 billion in NIH funding currently stalled in limbo.
NIH officials are hopeful that the freeze on Federal Register notices will be lifted soon to avert a serious disruption in funding. With an annual budget close to $48 billion, the NIH stands as the largest public supporter of biomedical research globally.
Each year, NIH grant requests undergo a rigorous review process, involving approximately 2,600 meetings with around 28,000 experts from various fields. This collaborative process sustains funding for over 300,000 researchers across more than 2,500 institutions.
However, the current freeze has led to applications “falling into a black hole,” leaving many waiting indefinitely for a resolution, according to sources familiar with the situation.
Members serving on NIH committees, especially “study sections,” have voiced their frustrations over the cancellations. Annika Barber, an assistant professor at Rutgers University, expressed concerns about the adverse effects on basic science research funding.
Some observers believe this pause is customary when a new administration takes over. Judge Glock, a senior fellow at a conservative think tank, indicated that the temporary halt was a typical process for reviewing grants.
Indeed, a similar freeze was enacted by the federal government shortly after the Trump administration’s inauguration, although it was later blocked by a federal judge. Researchers now worry that the NIH’s current freeze may be an attempt to circumvent that ruling.
Despite calls for reforms within the NIH, questions remain about the administration’s methods and whether they are ultimately detrimental to the scientific community. Some officials worry that these actions may lead to drastic restructuring at the NIH, significantly affecting funding for future research.
The issue has been exacerbated by workforce reductions at the NIH, with the agency losing about 1,200 employees thus far. Furthermore, proposed caps on indirect costs associated with medical research could undermine many projects, pending a ruling from a federal judge.
As discussions surrounding the future of the NIH intensify, with influential figures calling for major changes, the scientific community remains on high alert, awaiting the fate of the agency’s funding and programs.
