The year-long battle over National Institutes of Health funding, which caused UMass Chan Medical School to lay off employees in April, reached a new milestone on Tuesday.
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The year-long battle over National Institutes of Health funding, which caused UMass Chan Medical School to lay off employees in April, reached a new milestone on Tuesday.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has agreed to begin reviewing pending NIH applications delayed by the President Donald Trump Administration this year over their ties to diversity, equity, and inclusion, according to a Tuesday press release from Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell.
The agreement between HHS and the coalition of state attorneys general, researchers, and public health groups gives HHS deadlines to complete reviews for new applications based on when they were filed. In the first round of applications reviewed under the deal, at least 135 out of 146 were granted, Jennifer Herrman, an attorney for the ACLU of Massachusetts, told the Boston Globe.
UMass Chan is the largest recipient of NIH grants in Central Massachusetts. The Worcester school received $201 million for 372 projects in fiscal 2024, according to NIH.
In April, UMass Chan said the NIH cuts would result in it losing about $80 million in funding, leading to the school laying off or furloughing about 200 employees.
When asked how Tuesday’s deal would impact NIH funding moving forward, UMass Chan officials on Wednesday deferred questions to the attorney general’s office, which didn’t respond to requests for comment.
The deal resolves a lawsuit between HHS and the coalition challenging the federal government’s delay of NIH grant applications over their use of words tied to DEI initiatives, which U.S. District Judge William Young in Boston ruled in June was arbitrary and capricious.
The deal doesn’t restore NIH funding for existing projects that had their grants canceled or reduced, as the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in HHS’ favor on those efforts.
Brad Kane is editor of the Worcester Business Journal.
