Woodburn Hall on the downtown campus of West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Lexi Browning | West Virginia Watch)
West Virginia University expects to lose about $12 million per year in funding to support cancer and vascular research and more if the Trump administration goes through with changes to the way the National Institutes of Health provides funding for overhead and administrative costs, a spokeswoman for the university said Tuesday.
The cuts — part of a plan to save the federal government $4 billion a year — would limit WVU’s research enterprise and cost the school the faculty who were recruited to do the research, April Kaull, WVU’s executive director of communications, wrote in an email.
Areas including research and clinical trials for cancer, neuroscience and heart and vascular advancements would see the biggest impacts, Kaull wrote.
“This could severely hinder the university’s efforts toward obtaining the first National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in our state’s history,” she wrote. “This is critical, as West Virginians have the worst outcomes for many types of cancer in the country.”
The federal agency announced Friday plans to reduce indirect cost recovery to 15% from previously negotiated rates for new and existing grants.
“The United States should have the best medical research in the world,” NIH wrote in announcing the changes. “It is accordingly vital to ensure that as many funds as possible go towards direct scientific research costs rather than administrative overhead. “
Direct costs cover things such as researcher salaries, student stipends, supplies and some equipment, Kaull said. Indirect research costs include things like heat and air, building maintenance, chemical and radiation safety, library access, human subjects and animal welfare support and centralized research facilities.
The school does not profit from indirect costs, Kaull wrote.
“Our leadership teams are working with key constituents and policymakers to seek reconsideration,” she said. “All universities have indirect costs, and our nation’s research universities cannot operate without this support.”
A spokeswoman for Marshall University said the school continues to review changes from both the state and federal government that affect higher education.
“Marshall University’s government and legal teams continue to review every aspect of the federal and state executive orders that affect higher education, including academic research at the institution, to ensure compliance,” Leah Payne, the school’s director of communication, wrote in an email. “At this time, we don’t have any additional information to share.”
A federal judge on Tuesday reportedly ordered the Trump administration to hold off on the plans to cut the medical research spending. The order from Judge Angel Kelley for the U.S. District Court in Boston was in response to a legal challenge filed by university associations and major research centers that said the “flagrantly unlawful action” by U.S. health officials “will devastate medical research at America’s universities,” according to the New York Times.
According to reporting by Axios, the Trump administration proposed similar cuts during his first administration but Congress did not act. Project 2025, a conservative playbook for Trump’s second term that was co-authored by Russell Vought, Trump’s director of Management and Budget, says the funds subsidize “cross-subsidize leftist agendas” and that the schools use the funding to support diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
In a statement Tuesday, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-West Virginia, said she understands the Trump administration’s interest in reforming indirect costs — some are as high as 70% and she believes the issue is something that officials should address.
“However, the actions taken last week were a one-size fits all approach that could have dramatic impacts, which is why this deserves some discussion and careful consideration before any final decision is made,” she said.
A spokesman for Sen. Jim Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
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