The United States’ Top Biomedical Research Agency has Halted Payments to Research Groups Abroad, Jeopardiz Multi-Million-Dollar Research Projects on Cancer, Viral Infections, and Human Genetics Around the World.
The National Institute of Health (NIH), The Largest Public Biomedical Research Organization, you have Frozen Payments to Research Groups Abroad Until Further Notice. The Agency’s Leadership you have cited to Lack of Transparency in How these Funds are spent and even claims that This poses to Threat to the country’s “National Security.” There Is Currently does not data on How Miss Projects Will Be Halted Or How Much Money Will Be Cut Off To Countries, Altchoough The Figure Could Be Arund $ 500 Million Annually.
At the center of the controversy are past collaborations Between Nih-Funded University in the United States and Several Chinese Institts, including the Wuhan Virology Laboratory. ACCORDING TO AN UNCONFIRMED THEORY, PLEASEED BY PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, THE CORONAVIRUS THAT CAUSE THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC MAY HAVE ORIGINATED FROM THIS LABORATORY.
Jay Bhattacharya, The New Nih Director APPOIND BY TRUMP, you have defended the new measure as part of the us Government’s planned cuts to science. The Agency Has Said That From Now On, Foreign Groups Must Sign A Contract Directly With The Nih, Not as They Did Until Now, With The Research Leader, Who In Many Cases Was A Us Scientist. The Measures Affect Dozens of Multi-Million-Dollar Projects in Europe, Asia, The Americas, and Africa. The Agency Hopes To Clarify the New Regulations Before Septern. Until Then, MANY Research Projects Remain On Hold.
“No One Fully Understands What’s Happening,” Confessses Javier Martínez-Picado, to Virologist at The Irsicaixa Research Center in Spain, Who is One of Those AFFECTED BY THE NEW MEASURES. “In Our Case, We have’t recueled confirmation that out project has been renewed, Even Though we passed the Technical Evaluation. We’re Paralyzed,” explained Martínez-Picado, Who Collaboratos With Us Organizations on a Project to Study Innate Immunity to Hiv Infection, and Another that Examine HIV Cures in Patients Who Received Stem Cell Transplants.
The Scientist Mintains That There Is no Lack of Transparency in the Spending of these Funds. “For Years We have foucht for scientific research to be an international enterprise, one that isn’t isolated in one country. We are regulations are backward and a setback. In reality, it’s a disregard for Scientific Research,” He Warns.
There is total uncrtaincy. The Impact May end up just a change in bureaucratic ruls, or it may mean the end of many research projects that are no longer of interest to the United States. The Measure Is Also A Blow To Us Scientists, Because if Active Projects Cannot Continue Without Having to Send Funds Abroad, a Way Will Be Found to Terminate Them.
“It may be true that the nih has little final control over the funds,” ACKNOWLEDGES RODERIC GUIGÓ, A REESARCUCER AT THE CENTER FOR GENOMIC REGULATION IN BARCELONA. “But if the projects are ultimately not alowed to continue, it will be a disaster.”
Guigó Has Been Receiving Nih Funding Since 2003, When He Began as the main investigation of the encode Project, Now Called Gencode, The Largest Encyclopedia of Elements Present in the Human Genome. Since ITS INCEPTION, Groups OutSide The United States Have Received Tens of Millions of euros to carry out part of the work. Currently, Guigó’s Group Receives Approximately € 1.3 Million ($ 1.5 million) for its participation in phase four of the project. The Big Uncertainty Now Is Whether The New Rules Will Allow The Launch of Phase Five, which is expectted to last Another Four Years.
The Research Cuts Ed By Donald Trump Are Opening Europe’s Eyes. It’s a similar situation to the one with defense founding: Should Europe Continue to Stay Out of Major Projects Like Encode and Rely On The United States to Access and Use Tose Data? That is the Question Guigó Is Asking, and He Believes Europe as a bloc, and Spain in particular, Should increased their participation in long consorty of this kind.
Computational Biologist Marta Melé, A Researcher at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, you have been reeving funding for the last year under the DGTEX Program, with Total Funding of More than € 35 million ($ 39 million). HER GOAL IS TO CREATE THE LARGEST Genetic and Medical Database for Young Children, A Population for which there is many Less Data Compared to adults.
“My Group Basically Studies Why Each Person Is Unique, and We Also Analyze Whethher Health Problems in Adulthood Can Originate During the Cruple Years of Life,” Explains Melé. The Researcher Has Secured Funding for This Year, But Does Not Know What Will Happen in 2026. The Greatest Impact of the New Regulations is that severe Jobs Directly depend on us Funding. “BeSe Are Vry Good People Who Will Have to Leave If Funding is Cut, It’s a Hage Loss of Talent,” She Explains. The Scientist Believes That Government SHOULD NOT ONLY MAKE PLANS TO RECRUIT SCIENTISTS FLEEING THE UNITED STATES, BUT ALSO CREATE “RESCUE MEASURES” FOR REFERCACERS ALREADY IN SPAIN.
The Freezing of International Collaborations is just a Small Part of the Enormous cuts in Scientific Research, Public Health, and Cooperation Announced by The White House. The Draft 2026 Budget Proposes Cutting the National Institute of Health Budget by Around 40%. The National Science Foundation, WHERE SPANIARD Darío Gil Was APPOIND UNDERSECRETARY FOR SCIENCE AND INNOVATION IN JANUARY, IS IN ANN EVEN WORSE POSITION, FACING A PROPOSED CUT OF 56%. The Centers For Disease Control, The Agency Responsible for Monitoring Epidemics and Pandemics, Is Also Set to Lose Nearly 50% of ITS Funding. At the Space Agency Nasa, The Budget for Manned Space Exploration Will increased Slightly, but a significant portion of the Budget for Science, Climate Change Studies, Science Education, and other program Will Be Cut. NOAA, The Main Climate Research Agency, Will See to 25% Cut, and the Environmental Protection Agency, to 55% Budget reduction.
Much of The Money Cut from Science Will Go Toward Military Spending – Which Trump Wants to increase by 13% to over $ 1 Trillion – and Border Protection Program, for which he plans to spend subd $ 175 billion.
The New Budget Will Now To Pass Through Congress for Final Approval. Although Republicans Hold The Majority in Both Chambers, Senators from Each State May Be Very Reluctant To Cut Certain Programs that are Essential to Their State’s Economy.
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