NIH Slashes Indirect Costs Support in Research Grants

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The National Institutes of Health announced it will immediately cut support by at least half for indirect costs in research grants. NIH is the main funder of USA biomedical research.

Both new and existing grants will now get a 15% indirect cost rate. The average rate for indirect costs has been 27%. The minimum NIH is required to provide is 10%. Indirect costs help to pay for research infrastructure and administration.

NIH claims this change brings its indirect costs in line with grants from private foundations. The foundations are able to provide lower proportions for indirect costs partly because research facilities make up the shortfall some other way, and partly because private foundations provide a much smaller fraction of biomedical research funding than NIH.

It is not clear whether NIH is within its authority imposing this abrupt cut, especially on existing grants.

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