Photo: Bryan Goodchild
Chancellor Michael F. Collins addressed the new National Institutes of Health indirect costs rate cap in the following memo to the UMass Chan Medical School community on Sunday, Feb. 9:
Dear Colleagues,
Late Friday the National Institutes of Health, the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world, announced a new 15 percent cap on indirect costs on all new and existing grants. The new cap, which takes effect Feb. 10, represents a significant change to the way biomedical research at UMass Chan and hundreds of other recipient organizations has been funded for decades. The new 15 percent cap is approximately one-quarter of the indirect cost rate UMass Chan and many other universities currently receive, meaning that this change in essential funding presents an urgent and significantly different financial model that will have a profound and sobering impact on research organizations. Across our nation, there is much uncertainty about how the new NIH policy will be implemented.
Since we received this information on Friday evening, together with Provost Flotte and our senior leadership team, we have been working around the clock with the University’s Office of General Counsel. Soon, we will be able to provide you with an update explaining that work.
Furthermore, our leadership team has been in contact with our elected officials in Boston and Washington, D.C., to make them aware of the serious concerns that we have relative to the substance, manner and timing in which this action was taken and communicated. Additional discussions with our elected representatives are already scheduled in the coming days.
Earlier today, Provost Flotte and I participated in a call with nearly 200 medical school leaders to discuss the impact and to plan for advocacy efforts to attempt to stop this action. There was uniformity of belief that such action will seriously, and perhaps permanently, negatively impact the American biomedical research enterprise, seriously impact patients participating in clinical trials and diminish the preeminence of research that is conducted in America’s universities and teaching hospitals.
There is a concerted effort underway by the Association of American Medical Colleges, Research!America and many university and patient advocacy groups to stop this harmful decision.
Be assured that we are doing all that we can to protect our most vital and valuable public research mission and to try to prevent the negative impacts and disruption that such a decision would have on our research enterprise.
We understand and fully appreciate the concerns and uncertainty that you may be feeling. You are not alone with these feelings. It is essential that we work together to keep you informed about our advocacy efforts as we shape a clear, concise and unified message in opposition to the NIH’s planned cuts.
We will be in close communication in the days ahead. Please let your voice be heard to your elected officials. Please be in touch with us if we can provide you with additional information. At times like these, it is essential that we work together to assure that we can advance research efforts together!
