NIH Director Removes Four Main Scientists amid Massive Staff Purge: The directors of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) and the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) were informed late on 31 March that they were being placed on administrative leave. (Scientific American: April 1, 2025)
A Federal District Court judge for the district of Massachusetts ordered a nationwide preliminary injunction on Wednesday, February 5, that told the National Institutes of Health that they must continue to hold off on planned cuts to federal funding while the court case plays out. Specifically, this means that the NIH cannot implement the 15% indirect cost rate across all NIH grants at this time. According to Science, "[t]he next step is up to the government. It can decide to drop the proposed rate change or appeal the judge’s decision. If it appeals, the injunction would remain in effect until there’s a ruling by a higher federal court."
The NIH canceled its Summer Internship Program (SIP) for college, graduate and professional students interested in exploring careers in research and healthcare.
Until further notice, the automatic NCE link is not available within eRA Commons. According to the NIH Helpdesk, a guide notice will be posted soon explaining next steps. For Prior Approval NCE requests PIs will need to wait until after the project end date to submit your NCE request. We recommend checking back frequently to see whether the automatic NCE link reappears. Note: As of February 12, the automatic NCE link is back.
NIH Cuts On Hold After States Sue (Inside Higher Ed, February 10, 2025). The order only applies to the 22 states party to the lawsuit. Texas is not party to the lawsuit.
NOT-OD-25-068: NIH has issued Supplemental Guidance introducing a reduced indirect cost rate effective February 10, 2025.