NIH Cuts Absorbable Without Hobbling Research in Higher Education: Policy Experts

Universities see the nation’s status as a research leader at stake, while supporters of the cuts say untraceable indirect research costs can be a gravy train.

Barmak Heshmat poses with his prototype scanning device in a lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass. Researchers came up with a technology that can read the pages of a book without opening it, which could help museums analyze antique books and ancient texts. Michael Dwyer/AP Photo

Dozens of prestigious universities sounded the alarm after the National Institutes of Health (NIH) capped overhead costs of taxpayer-funded research grants at 15 percent to reduce government spending.

These cuts undermine decades of progress in cancer, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes research, higher education officials announced. Jobs will be eliminated, fewer doctorate students will be admitted to top learning institutions, and marginalized communities will suffer, they said.