NIH Reverses Decision to Cancel Research Grants Following Legal Ruling

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has paused the cancellation of numerous biomedical research grants after a federal judge deemed hundreds of previous cancellations illegal. This move comes in response to a legal challenge that highlighted the problematic nature of recent NIH actions.

Just days prior, U.S. District Judge William Young ordered the NIH to reinstate more than 900 grants that had been canceled. The lawsuit was filed in Boston and involved researchers and several state attorneys general challenging the NIH's decision to terminate these grants. According to STAT News, the legal case brought significant attention to the issue.

An internal email from Michelle Bulls, the director of the NIH's Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration, instructed NIH officials that no further grant cancellations should proceed. She emphasized that all ongoing or queued terminations should be halted immediately, reflecting a court order that the agency must comply with.

This development is notable because, since President Donald Trump took office in January 2017, over 2,600 NIH grants—amounting to nearly $9 billion—were canceled, with many focused on diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), and LGBTQ+ health research. The recent court ruling now reinstates grants submitted by researchers involved in the lawsuit or residing in states where attorneys general joined the legal action.

The NIH and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have yet to release official comments on the reversal. The sudden halt in grant cancellations indicates a significant shift in NIH policy, likely influenced by the legal proceedings and judicial orders.

Meanwhile, the HHS publicly defended its previous funding decisions, asserting that they aimed to prioritize scientific rigor over ideological considerations. However, the judge's rejection of the administration's request to halt his ruling underscores the importance of legal oversight in federal research funding.

For now, NIH staff have been instructed to suspend all ongoing grant terminations until further notice. This pause is expected to impact ongoing research projects, especially those related to social justice and health equity. More information about federal funding and research grants can be found through sources like the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Source: Medical Xpress