Dear reader,
This is not a regular issue of our monthly newsletter. Something extremely unusual has happened – Parkinson’s research at the University of Minnesota is about to be dealt a huge blow. The term “indirect costs” probably doesn’t mean much to you, though you might have heard it in the news lately. It sounds boring and bureaucratic, but indirect costs are the lifeblood of medical research. If a professor receives a grant of $100,000, that money pays for the time that lab staff spend on the project, it may also pay for supplies and equipment. However there are many unseen costs that that $100,000 doesn’t pay for. For example, the lab staff don’t appear out of thin air; someone in HR posts the job ad and processes their new employee paperwork; regulatory staff ensure that they have proper training to handle participant medical records. An accountant processes staff paychecks and ensures “direct” funds are spent properly. The research isn’t conducted in somebody’s spare garage space; the university provides a lab with electricity, water, and heat, in a secure building. These are a few examples of the many “indirect costs”: things that are not a direct part of the research, but which cost a significant amount of time, effort, and money, and are necessary for the research to occur.
The NIH had previously determined that facility and administration costs at UMN warranted a 54% indirect cost rate. The federal government announced on Friday night that indirect costs at all institutions nationwide will be limited to only 15%. This represents a loss of almost three-quarters of the funds needed to support research activity at the University of Minnesota. Without it, research at UMN, including Parkinson’s research, will be severely impacted. Professors will not have the support or resources to carry out the research that the “direct” funds were awarded for.
This will have an impact beyond just the University of Minnesota. The National Council of University Research Administrators writes that, “This decision is short-sighted, naive, and dangerous. It will be celebrated wildly by our competitors, who will see this for what it is—a surrender of U.S. supremacy in medical research. It is a self-inflicted wound that, if not reversed, will have dire consequences on U.S. jobs, global competitiveness, and the future growth of a skilled workforce."
We are asking you to please take 5-10 minutes out of your day to contact your federal elected officials. Any method (phone, email, social media) will help. It doesn’t need to be a long call or message – just briefly let them know that you are concerned about the NIH indirect funding cap.
President Donald Trump
(202) 456-1111 (was supposed to open Feb 12, but has not yet; you may need to use one of the methods below) Email | Facebook | X.com
This newsletter is a service of the MnDRIVE DBS Core at the University of Minnesota. If you would like to support Parkinson's Disease Research at the University of Minnesota, you can make donations here!
