NIH freezes spark scientific outcry
A pause on meetings, travel and grant reviews for the National Institutes of Health (NIH; MD, USA) under the new Trump administration has triggered widespread alarm across the scientific community.
The scientific community in the US is facing unprecedented uncertainty following directives from the Trump administration that have halted critical NIH operations, including research-grant reviews, travel and communication. These measures, announced on January 21, have disrupted research funding and sparked concern over their potential long-term impact on the nation’s biomedical research efforts.
The NIH, the world’s largest public funder of biomedical research with an annual budget of US$47.4 billion, typically relies on a meticulous review process to allocate grants. These processes involve panels of experts evaluating project proposals to ensure funding goes to the most promising initiatives. While brief pauses during presidential transitions are not unusual, the current indefinite suspension is a cause for concern.
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Researchers nationwide are grappling with the fallout. Advisory councils and grant-review panels have been abruptly canceled, leaving researchers in limbo. For early-career scientists, the delay is particularly damaging, as funding uncertainties could completely derail research projects and create a ‘domino effect’ of delays in scientific innovation. Senior NIH scientists have expressed concern at the sweeping restrictions and some argue that the pause undermines the NIH’s mission, with former NIH Director Harold Varmus (Weill Cornell Medicine; NY USA) warning it challenges Congress’s intent to fund life-saving research.
The long-term implications of these measures remain unclear. While the administration defends the pause as a temporary step to reorient priorities, the freeze could jeopardize scientific advancements that transform healthcare and save lives.