Tufts University has joined other AAU institutions to challenge administration's decision to cut NIH funding
February 10, 2025
Dear faculty and staff,
We are writing to let you know that Tufts University has joined with numerous American Association of Universities (AAU) institutions, the AAU itself, the American Council of Education, and the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities to challenge the administration’s decision, announced Friday night, to cut the NIH facilities and administrative costs to a flat rate of 15 percent. We believe that these changes were not made in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act and, therefore, are in violation of the law.
The long-standing research partnership between the federal government and institutions of higher education has fueled innovation that has led to cures for diseases, treatments to reduce suffering, and devices to help people live longer and healthier lives. University-based research has strengthened America’s national security and improved our economy through job creation, increased spending, and rising tax revenue. Tufts is proud of its role in this partnership.
We are currently receiving $115.2 million in NIH funds, including $88.3 million in direct costs and $26.9 million in facilities and administrative costs. The facilities and administrative costs, also known as indirect costs, include funds to cover Tufts’ basic research infrastructure and equipment such as biocontainment laboratories, bench research space, fume hoods, autoclaves, high-speed data processing, security and data storage for sensitive health information, and refrigeration for specimen storage. In addition, facilities and administrative costs fund the administration of awards, including staff who ensure compliance with a vast number of regulatory mandates from agencies such as NIH. In short, these funds enable the research to happen. (For more information about facilities and administrative costs and other related topics, please visit this FAQ.)
NIH funds support more than 200 projects across the university, accounting for 60 percent of the university’s federally funded research portfolio. Among these research projects are efforts to cure Lyme disease, protect humanity from the global threat of antimicrobial resistance or “superbugs,” and accelerate biomedical research's translation into impact on patient care and public health.
We want to be as transparent as we can be at this point. If these cuts to NIH funding stand, the impact on Tufts will be significant. The university does not have the resources to absorb these additional facilities and administrative costs, and, as a result, we will need to reduce the NIH-funded research done at the university. This would be a terrible outcome. Even if the cuts are restored, we will need to be agile, prudent, and efficient in delivering on our research mission moving forward.
We will keep in touch as the situation evolves.
Sincerely,
Sunil Kumar
President
Caroline Attardo Genco
Provost and Senior Vice President
Michael W. Howard
Executive Vice President
Bernard Arulanandam
Vice Provost for Research