National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jayanta “Jay” Bhattacharya released a widely anticipated list of a dozen research priorities for his agency, spanning familiar topics ranging from autism to health disparities. But he sparked concern within and outside of NIH by ordering a new internal review of the agency’s entire funding portfolio. Some staff and others worry that effort will further delay NIH’s issuing of grant funding.

The analysis the director calls for, says University of Pittsburgh biochemist Jeremy Berg, former NIH institute director and former Science editor-in-chief, "is a substantial undertaking, yet no timelines or clear guidance is given." NIH grant officers have already had to scour grants for politically sensitive topics disliked by President Donald Trump’s administration, a process that has taken months and helped put NIH at risk of not spending its 2025 budget before the end of the fiscal year.

Source https://www.science.org/content/article/nih-director-orders-new-review-grants-outline-top-research-priorities

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