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U.S. Cancer Research at a Breaking Point: NIH’s Grant Race Tightens Sharply

  

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The United States has long been a global leader in cancer research, channeling billions of federal dollars into laboratories that have transformed once-fatal diagnoses into treatable or even curable conditions. Steady support from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has underpinned landmark discoveries—from targeted therapies to cutting-edge immunotherapies—while training the next generation of investigators. That foundation is now under acute strain. With critical projects stalled, the funding crisis threatens not only laboratory progress but the trajectory of cancer care itself.

In a development rattling the biomedical research community, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), a cornerstone of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has announced a seismic drop in its funding rate for competing R01 grants. Scientists were informed that only 4% of submitted grant applications will be funded for the remaining fiscal year, down from about 9% last year, marking possibly the most extreme decline in recent memory.1,2

Why Funding Is Shrinking

This drop is not simple belt-tightening. It stems from a new NIH funding strategy requiring that at least half of remaining research-project dollars be issued as up-front payments for multiyear grants. While intended to ease budget pressures in fiscal year 2026, the strategy drastically reduces the total number of unique projects that can be funded in 2025.3 

Ripple Effects Across the Research Landscape

The funding drought is reverberating well beyond individual laboratories. The odds of securing NIH support have plummeted, prompting warning signs across academic and medical institutions.4,5 In June, a STAT analysis highlighted a growing funding deficit, from $2.3 billion in April to at least $4.7 billion by mid-June, shadowing a 29% drop in monthly funding levels compared to the average over the past nine years.5 This along with political and budgetary turbulence, a proposed FY2026 budget slashing of the NCI’s funding by over 37% will cause a potential blow to priorities like the Cancer Moonshot Initiative, which aims to reduce the cancer death rate by at least 50% in 25 years. 6,7

A Crisis Fueled by Policy, Not Science

This dramatic shift isn’t simply the result of budget tightening, it reflects broader political priorities. Since early 2025, sweeping directives from the Trump administration have targeted NIH’s autonomy. An indirect cost cap of 15% on grants has triggering lawsuits from 22 states and institutions like Baylor and MD Anderson in Texas,8,9 a brief and chaotic freeze on federal grant disbursements in January caused widespread disruption before being blocked in court,10  and legal, policy, and structural assaults on NIH’s stability from grant terminations to staff layoffs, have intensified the sense of crisis.11

Voices from the Frontlines

Researchers and institutions are sounding the alarm. At the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2025, cancer leaders like Monica Bertagnolli warned that slashing NIH funding threatens the very foundation of groundbreaking science. The AACR responded with its own $15 million Trailblazer grants to support early- and mid-career researchers.12 Assigned NIH staff also rallied in protest through the Bethesda Declaration, denouncing the politicized dismantling of grant distribution and demanding the restoration of "life-saving science."13 Scientists, caught in the crossfire, describe the environment as “a battlefield” wrought with anxiety and uncertainty, where labs could go dark, careers evaporate, and long-term research trajectories may be erased.14

Moving Forward

Interruptions threaten clinical trials, new therapies, and ultimately patient survival. Universities, scientific societies like the National Society for Histotechnology, and state governments are mobilizing to challenge cuts and defend NIH’s mission. The United States is confronting a defining moment for biomedical research. Without swift action, discoveries poised to save lives could be delayed—or lost entirely. Sustained support for the NIH is not just an investment in science; it is an investment in future cures. 
Thanks to the advocacy of researchers across the country, the U.S Senate Appropriations Committee approved a bill on July 31 rejecting the president's proposed cut and recommending NIH receive $48.7 billion (an increase of $400 million or 0.83 percent compared to the FY 2025 enacted level).

What You Can Do

The U.S. House Appropriations Committee is scheduled to vote on the NIH funding bill in early September. The scientific community urgently need your help to tell the House to reject the president's request to cut funding for NIH by 40 percent. Please contact your legislators today by using the form on this page. A sample email message is provided and you can modify the text to explain why you oppose cutting funding for NIH and how the research it supports benefits your state or institution.

Written by Antoinette EF Lona MSc., HTL(ASCP)cm

References

  1. Oza AC Megan Molteni, Anil. NIH is shrinking the number of research projects it funds due to a new Trump policy. STAT. July 29, 2025. Accessed August 20, 2025. https://www.statnews.com/2025/07/29/nih-cancer-institute-shrink-number-of-funded-research-grants/
  2. Gaffney T. New study tracks Covid-19 booster safety. STAT. July 29, 2025. Accessed August 20, 2025. https://www.statnews.com/2025/07/29/health-news-covid-booster-shot-planned-parenthood-abortion-nih-cuts-morning-rounds/
  3. Funding Policy - Research Grants - NCI. May 2, 2025. Accessed August 20, 2025. https://www.cancer.gov/grants-training/grants-funding/funding-strategy/current-funding-policy
  4. Odds of winning NIH grants plummet as new funding policy and spending delays bite. Accessed August 20, 2025. https://www.science.org/content/article/odds-winning-nih-grants-plummet-new-funding-policy-and-spending-delays-bite
  5. Parker MM J Emory. Despite resumption of NIH grant reviews, research funding gap grew. STAT. June 27, 2025. Accessed August 20, 2025. https://www.statnews.com/2025/06/27/despite-resumption-of-nih-grant-reviews-research-funding-gap-grew/
  6. Future Cancer Cures in Jeopardy as President Proposes Massive Cuts to National Cancer Institute. American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. May 30, 2025. Accessed August 20, 2025. https://www.fightcancer.org/releases/future-cancer-cures-jeopardy-president-proposes-massive-cuts-national-cancer-institute
  7. How Trump Killed Cancer Research | WIRED. Accessed August 20, 2025. https://www.wired.com/story/how-trump-killed-cancer-research/
  8. Reed T. 22 states sue to halt NIH research funding cuts. Axios. February 10, 2025. Accessed August 20, 2025. https://www.axios.com/2025/02/10/states-sue-stop-cuts-to-nih-funding
  9. Baylor, MD Anderson among institutions that could lose NIH grants. Accessed August 20, 2025. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/health/article/houston-institutions-lose-millions-federal-nih-20159047.php
  10. 2025 United States federal government grant pause. In: Wikipedia. ; 2025. Accessed August 20, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2025_United_States_federal_government_grant_pause&oldid=1306803590
  11. Green HH. ‘Impossible to rebuild’: NIH scientists say Trump cuts will imperil life-saving research. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/07/nih-scientists-trump-cuts. August 7, 2025. Accessed August 20, 2025.
  12. Matthius A. The Impact of Funding Cuts: AACR Annual Meeting 2025 Shows Why Cancer Research Matters. American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). May 23, 2025. Accessed August 20, 2025. https://www.aacr.org/blog/2025/05/23/the-impact-of-funding-cuts-aacr-annual-meeting-2025-shows-why-cancer-research-matters/
  13. Bethesda Declaration. In: Wikipedia. ; 2025. Accessed August 20, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bethesda_Declaration&oldid=1303171695
  14. Molteni AC Usha Lee McFarling, Jonathan Wosen, Megan. Trump’s first 100 days, seen through 5 lives: Grants terminated. Dreams crushed. Futures in the balance. STAT. April 25, 2025. Accessed August 20, 2025. https://www.statnews.com/2025/04/25/trump-100-days-nih-cuts-human-impact/


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