1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

Why NIH indirect rate cuts matter, and how it will impact nearly everyone- Bottom line: - NIH slashing indirect rates on research grants to 15% will devastate research infrastructure. This will lead to fewer advances in health care and treatment options - in areas that affect nearly everyone or someone they care about, such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, mental health, children’s health, etc. - The U.S. is a leader in health care innovation, which is put at risk when grants cannot be adequately supported. - Public universities (where much/most of the research happens) are major employers in most states. Slashing the indirect rate will lead to job losses. - Please call your senators and rep to ask them to protect NIH indirect rates however they can. Background: Health research grants have two components, direct costs and indirect rate. - Direct costs are directly attributed to that specific project, such as faculty and staff time, study-specific supplies, incentives for participants, etc. - Indirect rates are a federally negotiated percentage of direct costs. These cover the infrastructure that supports research as a whole, not attributable to a specific project. For example, grant and contract managers, IT, compliance specialists, facility space, admin staff, HR, legal. Research programs can’t run without these. - Slashing indirect rates to 15% suddenly is devastating for the entire research model. - 22 states filed a lawsuit. A judge temporarily blocked the cuts, but only in those 22 states. It is crucial for continued research to support everyone’s health, our status as innovators, and employment in all states at higher ed research, that these sudden and drastic cuts are stopped.