Scientist warn pipeline of lifesaving discoveries and younger scientists is drying up.
An empty research lab. Credit: Getty | Mint Images
Since Trump took office on January 20, research funding from the National Institutes of Health has plummeted by more than $3 billion compared with the pace of funding in 2024, according to an analysis by The Washington Post.
By this time in March 2024, the NIH had awarded US researchers a total of $1.027 billion for new grants or competitive grant renewals. This year, the figure currently stands at about $400 million. Likewise, funding for renewals of existing grants without competition reached $4.5 billion by this time last year, but has only hit $2 billion this year. Together, this slowdown amounts to a 60 percent drop in grant support for a wide variety of research—from studies on cancer treatments, diabetes, Alzheimer's, vaccines, mental health, transgender health, and more.
The NIH is the primary source of funding for biomedical research in the US. NIH grants support more than 300,000 scientists at more than 2,500 universities, medical schools, and other research organizations across all 50 states.
In the near term, the missing grant money means clinical trials have been abruptly halted, scientific projects are being shelved, supplies can't be purchased, and experiments can't be run. But, in the long run, it means a delay in scientific advancements and treatment, which could echo across future generations. With funding in question, academic researchers may be unable to retain staff or train younger scientists.
As Ars Technica has previously reported, graduate programs across the country have reduced or, in some cases, completely eliminated classes of incoming doctoral candidates. Some smaller academic labs fear being shut down completely.
Given the funding uncertainty, Dino Di Carlo, a bioengineering professor and entrepreneur from the University of California, Los Angeles, told the Post that, for the first time in 20 years, he is not recruiting new PhD students to join his lab.
"I talked to our industry advisory board, and I told them, five years from now, you’re going to have 50 percent less PhD students from bioengineering that you can potentially recruit to your companies," Di Carlo told the Post.
A senior NIH official spoke to the paper of lost progress and cures: "Imagine if this were happening during the breast cancer research boom 30 years ago, where we were finding better ways to identify subtypes of breast cancer and targeted treatments," said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "More women would be dying now of breast cancer, left and right. Same thing with prostate cancer. You stop the pipeline, you pay with access to fewer cures later."