Trump administration's financial halt for international medical research to negatively impact European researchers
2023: Trump Administration's Funding Freeze Disrupts International Medical Research and Collaborations
In 2023, we've witnessed the Trump administration's funding freeze on collaborations between US medical researchers and their international counterparts, giving rise to ripples across the European medical research landscape.
The US National Institutes of Health (NIH), the world's largest biomedical research agency, froze funding for collaborations with foreign partners. Citing concerns over transparency and national security, the policy was rolled out last Thursday.
According to NIH data from 2023, there were 4,800 NIH-funded projects with collaborators in Europe, though not all these projects may still be active. These projects cover an array of important research topics, such as developing HIV vaccines, understanding how certain genes contribute to obsessive-compulsive disorder, and more.
Immediately, the policy put a halt to all future grants, including grant renewals for ongoing projects. The NIH aims to introduce a new funding mechanism by late September, replacing the sub-award program. However, the agency left open the possibility that it could revoke funding for current projects down the road.
The uncertainty surrounding the future of international collaboration on medical research has left researchers like Maria Yazdanbakhsh, head of the Leiden University Center for Infectious Diseases in the Netherlands, feeling uncertain about their NIH-funded project focused on developing a more effective malaria vaccine. "Our exciting project outcomes risk being halted, with irreversible consequences," she shared with Health.
Moving forward, Europe-based researchers can apply for direct funding from the NIH, a practice seldom awarded to scientists outside the US. According to the NIH, this will enable it to monitor the spending of funds more closely. Although, this fiscal year, direct funding went to only 17 Europe-based projects, significantly less than 129 in the previous year.
This move could have severe consequences, impacting collaboration within the global research community. Nicola Stonehouse, a virologist at the University of Leeds, stated, "The decision really damages international collaboration." Dr Alain Fischer, an emeritus professor at the Collège de France, added that this policy "presents an additional hurdle that will contribute to the already highly competitive funding environment."
The decision marks an escalation in the Trump administration's efforts to reshape the country's scientific establishment. Over the past few months, the NIH has cut numerous grants and overhead costs attributed to biomedical research, facing legal challenges in the process.
For affected researchers like Yazdanbakhsh, European policymakers need to work towards minimizing the impact of US cuts on European researchers. "I wish the European Commission would find mechanisms to mitigate such risks," she emphasized.
Sources:
- Europe Wants to Poach US Academics in Wake of Trump Funding Cuts. Can It Entice Them to Move?
- Health in 2024: The Biggest Medical Breakthroughs and Research That Gave Us Hope This Year
- Collaborating with the NIH
- A Call for More European Research
- The Rampant Underspending of Federally Funded Research Means Scientific Discoveries Are Slipping Through Our Fingers
- Foreign-led Research Projects Fought Over Audit Issues, Senior Scientists Say
Keywords: scientific research, medical research, health, research collaboration, funding cuts, Trump administration, NIH funding, US-Europe relations
- The uncertainty caused by the Trump administration's funding freeze on international collaborations may necessitate European policymakers to devise strategies that enable researchers to mitigate the impact of US funding cuts on their projects.
- In response to the funding freeze, some European research institutions are considering providing direct funding to international immunologists and medical researchers, hoping to strengthen partnerships and advance science.
- The potential loss of WhatsApp groups, which serve as platforms for discussions and collaboration among medical research teams from Austria, the US, and other countries, could stymie the exchange of ideas and hinder progress in science and health-and-wellness.
- The procedure for European scientists seeking direct funding from the US National Institutes of Health might prove challenging due to increased scrutiny and stiff competition, as the number of approved projects has dwindled in recent years.
