NIH Wants to Cap Funding for Indirect Research Costs—What Are They?

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the world’s largest funder of medical research, granting billions of dollars to U.S. colleges and universities each year. A point of contention in NIH funding is the little-known and less well-understood practice of paying indirect costs for medical researchers. Indirect costs are the expenses an organization incurs while performing its primary work. These include personnel and payroll management, administrative support, janitorial services, and building maintenance. All stakeholders tend to agree that indirect cost reimbursement is necessary for ongoing medical research. But how much is enough? That’s the question the Trump administration and some lawmakers are asking....