Important Federal Transition Update, 2-21-25

Dear students, faculty and staff,

Earlier today, a federal judge in Massachusetts extended her previously issued temporary restraining order blocking the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) policy change reducing the indirect cost rate for new and existing grants to 15% for all institutions.

While today’s decision is positive news, the issue of whether and when an NIH cap on indirect cost payments may take effect will continue to evolve ‒ along with the ongoing national conversation about the future of federal investment in medical research across the country. 

As a leading academic medical campus, research is at the heart of what we do and critical to how we care for our patients. Facilities and administrative costs are part and parcel of our operations ‒ and essential to driving investigation and discovery across disciplines and diseases. 

We assure you that we continue to do all we can to make it clear that a reduction in NIH funding has very real costs in terms of stifling life-saving research and very real consequences for the health of people everywhere. Together with our university leadership, and along with national association partners including the AAMC, we are assessing ways to preserve the federal support so fundamental to medical research on our campus and nationwide. 

We ask that you continue your research activities unabated as we closely monitor legal proceedings underway. Should you have questions, or receive letters or notices from external agencies pertaining to your work, please let us know using this online form.  

Please continue to visit the CU Anschutz Federal Transition Updates webpage for up-to-date information as the situation develops. You can also find regular updates online here from the University Federal Relations Team including information posted today. 

We recognize that this time of uncertainty and rapid change can take a toll. Please know that we are in this together, and that there are ample resources and support available to all members of the CU Anschutz community if and when you might need them. 

Our research enterprise has a tangible impact on so many lives, and we are deeply grateful for the community that keeps our work moving forward.

Don Elliman
Chancellor

John H. Sampson, MD, PhD, MBA
Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs
Dean, University of Colorado School of Medicine

Thomas Flaig, MD
Vice Chancellor for Research