Trump Policy Slashes NIH Grants as Cancer Institute Success Rate Plunges

The National Institutes of Health will sharply reduce the share of research projects it funds for the rest of the fiscal year under a new policy issued by the Trump administration, according to an internal notice obtained by STAT. The National Cancer Institute—NIH’s largest grant-making arm—told scientists it expects to support only about 4% of R01 grant applications, down from 9% a year ago. That equates to roughly one award for every 25 proposals, a record-low success rate that scientists warn will force laboratories across the country to lay off staff and shelve experiments. The policy affects multiple NIH institutes and may extend into the next budget year starting Oct. 1 unless Congress intervenes. R01 awards are the primary federal funding vehicle for university and medical-center labs, covering salaries, equipment and training for graduate students and post-doctoral researchers. Critics say the abrupt cuts could stall progress on cancer treatments and other medical breakthroughs.