In an effort to block deep cuts to institutions that perform lifesaving biomedical research on behalf of all Americans, the University of California today (February 10) submitted a declaration in support of the California Attorney General’s suit against the federal government in response to new guidance issued by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The new NIH guidance purports to lower the facilities and administration (F&A) cost rate for all NIH-funded grants to 15 percent, effective today. The NIH is the largest funder of UC research, funding that totaled $2.6 billion in the last academic year. As proposed, this will gut UC funding by hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
“As the world’s leading public research institution, we depend on NIH funds to perform our vital mission. A cut this size is nothing short of catastrophic for countless Americans who depend on UC’s scientific advances to save lives and improve healthcare,” said UC President Michael V. Drake, M.D. “This is not only an attack on science, but on America’s health writ large. We must stand up against this harmful, misguided action.”
For decades, the NIH has provided essential funding that has empowered America’s world-leading research institutions to discover cures and create 21st century jobs. NIH research funding supports the United States’ scientific competitiveness worldwide and enables the U.S. to be a global innovation leader. Federal funds are UC’s single most important source of support for research, accounting for more than half of UC’s total research awards.
This time-honored federal government and University partnership has led to some of the most powerful and impactful research discoveries in human history such as life-saving treatments for cancer, diabetes, heart attacks, and strokes, and new technologies and industries that translate into hundreds of thousands of well-paying jobs. Biomedical advancements at UC include the first radiation treatment for cancer, research contributing to the first flu vaccine, the discovery of the role of LDL and HDL cholesterol in heart disease, the invention of modern gene editing, and much, much more.
At the stroke of a pen, all of this is at risk.
“Make no mistake, if allowed, these cuts will threaten American lives, disrupt time-sensitive life-saving research, and cripple our innovative knowledge-based economy,” said Theresa Maldonado, UC Vice President for Research and Innovation. “This imprudent action will result in immediate broad reductions of personnel and services, including impacts on education, training, delivery of care to patients, basic research, and clinical trials. If, even for a short time, this drastic cut in the F&A rate is implemented, it will be disruptive for a prolonged period, permanently damaging time-sensitive work in both basic and clinical research.”
UC has more than 200,000 employees, making it California's third-largest employer in the fifth-largest economy in the world. Its workforce purchases goods and contributes to local economies across the state, and annually UC generates more than $80 billion in economic activity statewide. The University’s 21 health professional sciences schools, five NCI-designated cancer centers, and six academic health centers are widely recognized as among the best in the nation, and they are international leaders in the education of health professionals, in research that develops new cures and treatments, and in public service that provides healthcare for all Californians regardless of ability to pay.
In addition to providing a declaration as part of the state’s suit, UC is coordinating with other organizations pursuing immediate legal challenges to NIH’s action. We understand more than 20 state attorneys general intend to seek a temporary restraining order this week. We expect to provide declarations to support other litigation that may be filed by associations and groups working to block this calamitous about-face by the NIH.