Federal judge stops plan to reduce NIH grants that could limit UC research funding
The UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior is pictured. A federal judge halted a plan to cut National Institutes of Health grants in 22 states Monday, blocking a policy that would limit research funding across the UC. (Zimo Li/Photo editor)
This post was updated Feb. 14 at 12:11 a.m.
A federal judge halted a plan to cut National Institutes of Health grants in 22 states Monday, blocking a policy that would limit research funding across the UC.
The guidance – issued under the Trump administration – would cap the amount of indirect costs for NIH grants, which includes administrative expenses such as money for lab equipment and office space, to 15%, saving an estimated $4 billion. The NIH is the biggest funder of UC research, providing a total of $2.6 billion to the UC in the 2023-2024 academic year, UC President Michael Drake said in a Monday press release.
UCLA is one of the top-five funded institutions by the NIH for 2025 as of Wednesday, receiving at least $89 million, according to the NIH. Some of the UCLA research being funded includes projects related to neuroscience, cancer imaging and HIV/AIDS.
Drake’s press release followed a message by Vice Chancellor for Research and Creative Activities Roger Wakimoto to faculty, graduate students, postdoctoral scholars and staff Monday. In the message, Wakimoto said institutions representing the UCLA community’s interests, including the Association of American Medical Colleges and American Council on Education, have released statements objecting to the enforcement of the limit.
“Your research and creative activities are critically important to the university, and we will continue to advocate on behalf of our program,” Wakimoto said in his message.
California joined 21 other Democratic-run states in suing the NIH and United States Department of Health and Human Services on Monday. A federal judge from Massachusetts sided with the states Tuesday, granting a temporary restraining order to stop the funding cuts.
The UC submitted a declaration in the California Attorney General’s lawsuit to stop the funding cuts Monday.
“A cut this size is nothing short of catastrophic for countless Americans who depend on UC’s scientific advances to save lives and improve healthcare,” Drake said in the press release. “This is not only an attack on science, but on America’s health writ large. We must stand up against this harmful, misguided action.”
