In the past few weeks, the Trump administration has attempted to set a cap for indirect costs of medical research paid for by the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) at 15%. Further, some Republican members of Congress have proposed major changes to the NIH’s funding, including reissuing the NIH’s $48 billion in funding directly to states through block grants. These changes are currently being evaluated by a federal judge, who could possibly issue a block to these changes. However, while waiting on this ruling, these funding cuts are already affecting and will continue affecting the U.S. in so many ways. The goal of this article is to attempt to inform readers about what the NIH is, what they do and the effects that their funding has on U.S. society.
What is the NIH?
The NIH is the National Institute of Health, which was founded in 1887. This institute receives funding from the U.S. federal government, which they then distribute as they see fit. One goal that the NIH has in distributing its funding is to fund research that would help us understand the causes of disease, which leads to our ability to diagnose, treat and prevent it. Thus, the NIH has 27 centers and institutes that each focus on different diseases to address this broader goal. Some include the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). These institutes, which have greater expertise in these areas of science than the NIH alone, then fund promising projects in these areas. Funding ends up being distributed to universities, research institutes, laboratories, biopharmaceutical companies and hospitals nationwide. However, the NIH does not only fund research projects in the U.S. This institute also supports research training and career development, construction of biomedical research facilities, small businesses involved in technological innovation and loan repayment, among other efforts.
The Effects of These Funding Cuts
The NIH is the largest funder of biomedical research in the world. The U.S. has about 200,000 people working in biomedical research that all require funding. The NIH does not fund all research in the U.S. As of 2023, about 43,000 biomedical researchers applied for NIH funding, and about 13,000 of these investigators end up getting funded (31%). To date, the NIH has been selective in deciding which projects get funded. However, the projects that they have funded has led to a multitude of foundational findings that affect U.S. health care procedures and U.S. society. According to the NIH annual research highlights, here are some therapeutics and technologies that are only available because of research supported by NIH funding:
- General chemotherapy as a cancer treatment (1960s)
- Steroid-based asthma inhalers like fluticasone (2007)
- Dinutuximab Beta as a pediatric cancer treatment (2010)
- COVID-19 vaccine (2020)
- Ozempic as a weight loss medication (2022)
- Azidothymidine (AZT) as the first HIV treatment in the world (1987)
With these recent funding cuts to the NIH, all applications for new funding filed this year (which total about 16,000 grant applications) are not being reviewed. The funding cuts do not only mean that less research in the U.S. will get funded each year; the NIH touches many other aspects of U.S. society too.
Effects on the U.S.’s position as the world leader in biomedical research
The U.S. is the world leader in biomedical research. Most countries fund research using federal money, but the U.S. has significantly more institutions conducting research and more funds available. As of 2023, the NIH invested nearly $40 billion towards this purpose. This funding is absolutely necessary, since the average biomedical research project costs about $609,000 to conduct. The number of projects that have been funded in the U.S. has contributed to our country establishing itself as the number one research nation in the world. With these funding cuts, study sections reviewing NIH grants have been paused since January, so no new NIH funding has been distributed yet in 2025. This has put many research projects on hold, which hinders the contributions of the U.S. as a research superpower to the world and in developing the U.S.’s advanced health care system.
Many do not know that the NIH funds training in the biomedical sciences as well. U.S. researchers are some of the most educated people in the world, as our graduate programs require students to take more courses and defend their research more often, which develops critical thinking skills. Because of this, the U.S. attracts trainees globally to receive the best training in the biomedical sciences. With that being said, our country has only been able to get to this point as the world leader in biomedical research because of the amount of training and expertise that has been provided to our researchers. This year, many doctoral programs are reducing the number of students they are accepting or will not be accepting new graduate students at all. Further, students that have already been admitted to graduate programs for this admissions cycle are getting their offers rescinded, including at the University of Pennsylvania, one of the country’s top graduate schools. These funding cuts have broader effects outside of the fact that students wanting to contribute to research are now not able to get the training to do so. With cuts to the job force and training in the U.S., we risk losing our spot as a global research superpower.
Effects on the U.S. economy.
NIH funding drives the U.S. economy in multiple ways. To start, one of the most basic principles of economics is the understanding that having a well-educated workforce is key to economic growth. Since the NIH supports many graduate programs through training grants that pay students’ salaries throughout their training so socioeconomic standing is not a deterrent for receiving training, limiting funding for the NIH decreases access to higher education. Additionally, low unemployment rates are another key component of economic growth. In 2023, the NIH supported 412,000 jobs through its funding. Not to mention, the NIH recently laid off 1,200 employees, which is likely only the beginning of job losses nationwide resulting from these actions. Further, science itself drives economic growth, as outlined in a 2024 policy briefing by the U.K. Royal Society. As detailed in this report, science leads to economic impact through four routes: new knowledge and ideas, innovation and productivity, skilled people and jobs and wider economic impacts which are not directly monetized. Some sources have estimated that the NIH alone produced nearly $92.89 billion in new economic activity in the 2023 fiscal year. Cutting funding to this institute is not as simple as taking some money away from research. This action has broad-reaching effects into the health of the U.S. economy too.
Effects on Connecticut.
Most universities in the state of Connecticut rely heavily on NIH funding. Connecticut state officials have estimated that the state will experience a $150 million loss of funding for many institutions. University of Connecticut President Radenka Maric wrote in a letter to the campus community stating, “If implemented as announced, this change will impair our ability to produce innovative research that benefits all parts of society and place a significant financial strain on the university”. Scientists at Yale University have been protesting and advocating for the federal government to keep its “hands off” their research. Many Yale faculty have noted that this will not only have serious effects on medical breakthroughs at Yale, but it will also impact the local New Haven economy.
What can you do to help?
1. Support peaceful protests in the area. There is a “Stand Up for Science 2025” protest occurring at the state capitol in Hartford, CT on Friday, March 7 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. This is going to be accompanied by peaceful protests occurring in 31 cities nationwide, including the nation’s capital, Washington D.C. Post photos and videos to social media with #StandUpForScience to show nationwide unity for this cause.
2. Join the nationwide walk out. The “Stand Up for Science 2025” movement is also encouraging office and classroom walkouts at 12 p.m. on Friday, March 7. Walk out of the classroom, gather in a visible location and spread awareness! This is a great way to show support without the major time commitment of traveling to Hartford.
3. Reach out to your government representatives. Write a letter or email to one of your government representatives to highlight why this issue is important or to the state and country in general. Our Connecticut state representatives include Senator Richard Blumenthal, Senator Chris Murphy, Representative John Larson, State Senator Rick Lopes, State Representative Donna Veach and Governor Ned Lamont. However, if you are not from Connecticut, make sure to reach out to your home state’s representatives! This is arguably more important since Connecticut representatives are already attempting to block these NIH funding cuts.
Dates are wrong for AZT