Contributed by Ian Hartshorn, Ph.D., UNR-NFA

The Nevada Faculty Alliance notes with concern the decision of the new administration to freeze all meetings, travel, communications, and hiring within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) until approved by new political appointees.  These actions have a chilling effect on vital academic research that not only serves to protect the health of the American people but generates significant economic benefit to our state.

The NIH is a part of the US Department of Health and Human Services and serves as the nation’s medical research agency. The agency has an annual budget of more than $47 billion dollars and runs multiple programs important to academic training and research across the country.

The Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) is the largest recipient of NIH Grants in Nevada. NIH awards exceed $30 million in the state, supporting 977 jobs and generating over $200 million in economic activity. A politicized slow-down of these vital funds will harm researchers, universities, and our state.

Early reports suggest that the Trump Administration may seek to use NIH funding as a bargaining chip for other desired reforms of the country’s higher education system. The NFA rejects further politicization of academic research. Grants from the NIH undergo a rigorous review process, a process now halted for political intervention. Grants should be funded by scientific merit, not by a political litmus test.

The Nevada Faculty Alliance calls on our Nevada Congressional delegation to exercise their responsibility of budget oversight, and our Senators’ constitutional obligation of advice and consent on presidential appointments to ensure that the new administration’s decisions align with the NIH mission and broader goals of academic integrity and freedom.

The NFA stands with any researchers impacted by these decisions, and encourages campus administration, the NSHE regents, and state leaders to do all they can to encourage a timely resumption of vital NIH programs. We encourage education professionals to register their objections with the White House, and your representatives in Congress.

We urge all NFA members who might be impacted by the NIH activity suspensions, or who are aware of their effects on peers and students, to share their experiences and the extent of these impacts by submitting impact statements to their NFA Chapter Presidents. This information is vital for our NFA representatives to effectively communicate the adverse effects and repercussions of the NIH suspensions to our federal and state officials, as part of our ongoing advocacy efforts for our faculty and NSHE institutions.

Sources

https://www.science.org/content/article/trump-hits-nih-devastating-freezes-meetings-travel-communications-and-hiring

https://www.unitedformedicalresearch.org/nih-in-your-state/nevada

https://www.aaup.org/news/statement-aaup-president-todd-wolfson-national-institutes-health-freeze