APLU Statement on Cuts to Reimbursement of NIH Facilities & Administrative Costs

Washington, DC – APLU President Mark Becker released the following statement on the National Institutes of Health’s announcement it will cut reimbursement of research facilities and administrative costs – which cover critical research activities such as patient safety, research security, and hazardous waste disposal – for NIH grants.

“NIH slashing the reimbursement of research costs will slow and limit medical breakthroughs that cure cancer and address chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. Let there be no mistake: this is a direct and massive cut to lifesaving medical research. We urge the administration to reconsider this self-defeating action.

“At public universities across the country, NIH-funded researchers are working tirelessly toward breakthroughs in treating debilitating diseases and discovering cures to deadly illnesses. Cuts to reimbursement of these costs are cuts to medical research and represent the federal government stepping back from commitments it has made to world-leading researchers.  This action will slow advances for millions of patients who desperately need critical breakthroughs and imperil the U.S.’s position as the world leader in biomedical innovation.”