Confusion and worry blanketed the nation following a string of orders from the Trump administration to freeze federal funding. Included in this funding freeze were operations related to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) responsible for much of the funding for various veins of research related to health.
NIH is an agency dedicated to biomedical research of human diseases and disorders. Research conducted in NIH laboratories or financially supported by the NIH has been crucial to understanding human health and developing treatments for a wide range of physical and mental ailments.
In January, the Trump administration restricted NIH activities and announced a temporary freeze on various federal loans and grants.
“President Donald Trump’s return to the White House is already having a big impact at the $47.4 billion U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), with the new administration imposing a wide range of restrictions, including the abrupt cancellation of meetings such as grant review panels. Officials have also ordered a communications pause, a freeze on hiring, and an indefinite ban on travel,” according to an article from Science, a peer-reviewed journal published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
The order to freeze federal funding was rescinded. However, NIH will still see a major cut in their budget. A new policy was announced on Feb. 7 that would cut a large chunk of funding (defined by the policy as “indirect costs”) awarded by the agency to biomedical research conducted by external institutions, like universities. The new policy is projected to save the agency $4 billion per year.
Jesse D. Jones College of Science, Engineering and Technology (JCSET) at Murray State receives several federal grants for research and student-related endeavors. As of the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the college had been awarded 14 grants from seven different agencies. NIH and Kentucky IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (KY INBRE, affiliated with NIH) are included in this list of agencies. More information about federal grants can be found on the University’s website under “Funding Opportunities”.
For the 2023-2024 fiscal year, the total amount of grant money received was $4 million. According to Claire Fuller, dean of JCSET, 20 faculty members are investigators under these grants, meaning that the money is used to fund their research projects or activities. It is not only professors who benefit from grants received by Murray State, however. Many resources for students are provided by these grants as well.
“The grants pay for many things,” Fuller said. “Including student stipends (undergraduate and graduate student research), student tuition (graduate students), student job skills training (especially the NIOSH grant), workforce development in our region (especially the DOL grant), faculty summer salary research supplies, research equipment (often from the “indirect costs” that come to the College and Department) (and) travel to field sites to collect data conference travel to present research findings publication costs to publish findings.”
With NIH implementing budget cuts, it is possible that Murray State would receive less federal funding needed by the JCSET, and in turn, would affect students who conduct research with faculty.
“We can continue to (fund) them for a short while on money in our accounts, like our indirect cost accounts. But that money is used for many things,” Fuller said. “If federal funding is cut, we also won’t be able to continue to purchase supplies to keep research labs running. The NIH currently funds work on diabetes (and) neurological conditions, as well as basic research into genetics of disease.”
Murray State’s Public Relations Department provided a statement on the issue: “We are continuing to monitor this issue, along with all other policies and procedures at the state and federal level.”
Currently, the exact effect the new NIH policy will have on research at Murray State is undetermined, though faculty remains dedicated to their research.
“The JCSET faculty, as well as other faculty across MSU with federal funding, continue their work because it is important work and they are highly dedicated researchers. We are dealing with the uncertainty in funding to the best of our ability and hope the issues are resolved quickly,” Fuller said.
