NIH-funded research is responsible for almost everything we know about common risk factors for CVD, not to mention a constellation of life-saving therapies and devices. These transformational advances require a robust research infrastructure dependent on indirect costs from NIH.
Last year, $9B of the $35B that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) granted for research was used for administrative overhead, what is known as “indirect costs.” Today, NIH lowered the maximum indirect cost rate research institutions can charge the government to 15%, above what many major foundations allow and much lower than the 60% that some institutions charge the government today. This change will save more than $4B a year effective immediately.