A National Institutes of Health policy change on funding of foreign scientists is far more sweeping than described in a Thursday announcement, according to an internal email that indicates international clinical trials and other research will be strictly vetted going forward.
The agency said Thursday that it will not renew or issue new “foreign subawards” — NIH funds that a U.S. researcher can give to a collaborator in another country to help complete a project — as the agency seeks to overhaul its $47 billion biomedical research portfolio. In a statement, NIH director Jay Bhattacharya said that this freeze on foreign subawards, while the agency establishes a new system for awarding grants to international collaborators over the next six months, is intended to address national security concerns and a lack of transparency in how NIH dollars are spent.
But privately, NIH leadership is making it clear that the moves are part of a broader America First agenda that seeks to dramatically reduce U.S. participation in international science.
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