In a decisive move that signals a potential shift in federal funding strategies, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has been directed to put a stop to the cancellation of numerous research grants. As reported by The New York Times on June 25th, this decision follows rulings by two different federal judges against the NIH’s previous grant termination actions. Michelle Bulls, an official at NIH responsible for managing external funding, emphasized the immediate implementation of the order stating, “Effective immediately, please do not terminate any additional grant projects.”
This turn of events comes on the heels of a notable number of rescinded grants by the NIH this year. Industry estimates indicate that several thousand grants, collectively worth in excess of $3 billion, have been withdrawn. Specifically, Grant Watch’s data shows a reduction of more than $3.2 billion, affecting 2,548 grants, while the Association of American Medical Colleges reports the rescission of 2,282 grants worth about $3.8 billion.
Concerning these withdrawals, a federal judge in Massachusetts on June 16th, specifically singled out terminations of hundreds of grants focused on race, gender, and sexual orientation, labeling them as discriminatory. The judge subsequently declared these terminations as “void and illegal,” and instructed for the restoration of the affected grants.
Although the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the supervisory body of the NIH, announced intentions to appeal the ruling, another setback arose. A California federal judge ruled on June 23rd for NIH to restore funding for over 800 research grants. The judge remarked of the palpable racial discrimination he had seen in these cases, as reported by CalMatters.
Current status of the reinstatement process for the aforementioned grants remains uncertain. This situation sheds light on the ongoing national conversation about the need for equitable research funding, and the potential implications this has on future NIH policies.
Source: https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/quality/nih-halts-additional-grant-terminations/