The National Institutes of Health’s plan to cut funding for colleges’ “indirect costs” of conducting medical research, which includes hazardous waste disposal, utilities and patient safety, could cost institutions billions. Advocates and researchers also warned that the cuts would undermine key research life-saving medical advancements. “While this retrenchment may seem like a good deal for taxpayers, the truth is that without a federal partner to share some of the costs of innovation, ground-breaking research, and life-changing medical advances, these costs will fall directly and indirectly on current students or bring this vital work to a halt,” Kara Freeman, president of National Association of College and University Business Officers, said in a statement.
