Dear Colleagues,<\/p>\n
I wanted to send a note to update you on the latest developments and potential impacts of last week\u2019s\u00a0National Institutes of Health announcement that it would cap indirect costs at 15 percent for existing and new NIH grants<\/a>. Since then, lawsuits seeking stays and\/or injunctions against the implementation of this new policy were filed by attorneys general from 22 states, a consortium of organizations led by the AAMC, and another consortium led by the AAU.<\/p>\n On Monday, a federal judge\u00a0granted a temporary restraining order<\/a>\u00a0to pause the implementation of this new policy pending a Feb. 21 hearing. The ruling applies to the suits filed by the Attorney\u2019s General and by the AAMC.\u00a0 As an accredited medical school, Geisel is covered under the ruling in the suit brought by the AAMC (read here<\/a>).\u00a0 I also anticipate a ruling to be issued in the suit filed by the AAU very soon, and Geisel is covered under that as well because Dartmouth is an AAU member.<\/p>\n We are continuing to monitor these events closely and will do our best to keep you updated. In the meantime, we will continue to support your research programs as usual, and you should not alter your approach toward pursuing your ground-breaking science.<\/p>\n If upheld, the consequences of this sudden and unanticipated change would jeopardize much of the life-saving research being done here at Geisel and with our partners by drastically reducing the funding we receive on NIH awards to help offset facilities and administration costs (aka F&A or indirect costs) that support the research programs that are funded by those and other awards. (The\u00a0AAMC has many helpful documents on F&A<\/a>\u00a0if you are interested in reading more.) This change would have a particularly harmful impact on Geisel because of the breadth and depth of our research portfolio that is sponsored by NIH.<\/p>\n