NIH Faces Legal Battle Over Scientific Grant Cuts And Political Influence

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is being scrutinized by the courts over allegations that the current administration is unlawfully obstructing its grant-making process.
In February, under updated guidelines, NIH said it would now apply a standard indirect cost rate of 15% to all new and existing grants, replacing the previous practice of negotiating separate rates for each grant.
In March, a federal court issued a nationwide preliminary injunction against the NIH following its abrupt decision to slash and cap indirect cost rates on biomedical research grants.
The ruling prevents the implementation of the policy change, affecting billions of dollars in funding and disrupting ongoing research and clinical trials.
Last week, sixteen state attorneys general filed a complaint against the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) over research grant terminations.
Plaintiffs argue that …Full story available on Benzinga.com

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