The nation’s universities and academic medical centers were reeling Saturday from a directive by the Trump administration to slash funding for medical research, a decision that doctors and scientists said would have a devastating effect on studies aimed at finding treatments for diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.
The change is aimed at reducing the amount of tax dollars that universities spend on overhead costs. The National Institutes of Health, which announced the move Friday evening, said $9 billion of $35 billion — or about 26% — of grant dollars distributed last year had gone to overhead.
The new policy, which takes effect Monday, will cap "indirect funds” for costs like buildings, utilities and support staff at 15% and is aimed at saving $4 billion.
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