Urging NIH to Reconsider Indirect Cost Policy

March 14, 2025

The American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) joins the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and the Congress of Neurological Surgeons in signing a letter to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Acting Director, Matthew Memoli, regarding the supplemental guidance to the 2024 NIH Grants Policy Statement: Indirect Cost Rates. This policy imposes a 15% cap on indirect costs for NIH grants, which threatens the sustainability of research institutions, increases administrative burdens, and jeopardizes clinical trials and the broader US biomedical research enterprise.

CHEST urges NIH to rescind this policy and work collaboratively with clinicians and other federal agencies to develop a fair, transparent, and sustainable approach to indirect cost recovery that maximizes research and acknowledges the complexity and resource requirements of these endeavors. It also outlines specific concerns with the supplemental guidance and its broader implications.

Read the full letter.