Seattle scientists protest Trump's NIH cuts to research funding
As the Trump administration pushes to cut billions in federal funding for public universities and research centers, local scientists gathered to protest the potential cuts to their jobs and the research that they say is vital to the community.
At a rally outside the University of Washington’s Genome Sciences building on Wednesday, hundreds of people demonstrated against a new National Institute of Health directive that would carve a massive hole in research budgets at institutions across the country.
Research universities like the UW receive hundreds of millions each year from the NIH. A lot of the money comes from reimbursements for “indirect costs” associated with research, such as facilities, administration, electricity, maintenance and salaries for support staff like postdoctoral research fellows. The UW has negotiated a 55.5% indirect cost rate for on-campus activities, which means the school gets $55.50 to help pay for overhead costs for every $100 it receives in research grants.
But on Feb. 7, the NIH abruptly announced a new policy that would cap all reimbursements at 15%, even for grants that have already been awarded. Local research institutions say the restriction would be a massive blow. In a lawsuit challenging the order filed by Washington and 21 other states, UW said it would lose $90 million to $110 million — which would force the school to lay off staff; delay lifesaving research; and scale back ongoing clinical trials for kidney disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and other illnesses. Washington State University would also be affected.
https://www.cascadepbs.org/briefs/2025/02/seattle-scientists-protest-trumps-nih-cuts-research-funding
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