I am told the NIH indirect costs thing came as a shock to many people even inside the extramural research division, meaning the people who would theoretically be involved in such policy.
Comments
Log in with your Bluesky account to leave a comment
Eliminating indirects (the lights and buildings for research) was in Project 2025 and is completely in line with punishing universities which are seen as part of a weird conspiracy ( "the cathedral") to promote crazy liberal ideas like voting for women.
This is correct. People who are surprised were not paying attention. (It does not help that major media pretended that P2025 was not serious and not connected to the Trump campaign.)
Again: the fact that them doing something was on the table does not make it useful to “and you’re surprised???” people. We can know they want to do it and still be shocked by it.
As a comparator, companies getting SBIR and STTR awards from the NIH, NSF etc have been allowed to request 30% indirect costs without negotiation with the funding org. So the bottom floor “don’t bother us” IDC default from the government has long been 30%. Yarvin's knives are out for the Cathedral.
Why though? Pretty much everything he has ever done is illegal. And he continues to get away with it. At some point we have to acknowledge that being caught unaware with this admin's actions is being willfully ignorant
Studies require spending - nothing happens for free. A typical highly active research university will experience a 75% cut in income that is used to support its biomedical studies (from 60 to 15% indirects). That's like one's household income going from $80k to $20k. Painful, to put it mildly.
It will probably go into effect instantly (barring it being withdrawn over the weekend or blocked by a court with surprising speed). It is scheduled to start on Monday.
Comments
Eliminating indirects (the lights and buildings for research) was in Project 2025 and is completely in line with punishing universities which are seen as part of a weird conspiracy ( "the cathedral") to promote crazy liberal ideas like voting for women.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Enlightenment
Have we ever had a President try to destroy jobs like this?
Trump told them what he would do, and they signed onto it, and they are responsible.
#HoldThemAccountable.