1. United States
2. Tenn.
3. Letter

The decision to cap indirect cost rates at 15% across all NIH grants is misguided and will severely undermine the United States' preeminent position in biomedical research. Indirect costs support essential administrative and facility expenses that enable cutting-edge scientific work. Many top research universities routinely negotiate rates exceeding 50% to adequately cover these operational needs. Private foundations providing lower indirect cost rates cannot be directly compared, as they fund a relatively small portion of overall research efforts. Arbitrarily capping reimbursement rates will disproportionately strain budgets at leading research institutions, forcing them to divert funds away from laboratories and core research missions. This short-sighted policy threatens to trigger faculty departures, diminish institutional resources, and ultimately erode America's global leadership in generating life-changing medical breakthroughs. Rather than micromanaging operational costs, NIH should collaborate with university partners to develop sustainable funding models that maximize scientific outputs. Taxpayer dollars are undoubtedly best utilized by empowering top minds to focus on pioneering research uninhibited by crippling financial constraints. Upholding competitive indirect cost rates is crucial to retaining preeminent research talent and facilities within the United States. I urge you to reconsider this detrimental policy before irreversible damage is inflicted upon the nation's biomedical research enterprise.