NIH cuts would accelerate trend of less spending on basic science

The number of basic science papers published by recipients of National Institutes of Health grants has been falling since 2013, the year the agency’s budget was cut by 5%, according to a new analysis. President Trump’s budget proposal to slash NIH funding by nearly 40% would further erode basic biomedical research, warns the author, a former top agency official.

“We’ve already seen that budget cuts translate into less basic science. So even more budget cuts will lead to even more decreases in basic science,” said Michael Lauer, who wrote the preprint. Lauer, who was the deputy director of extramural research at the NIH until he retired in February, told STAT that the agency had been concerned about declines in basic science papers since he joined in 2007. 

Basic research has at times been ridiculed by lawmakers for sounding silly, and not having an immediate clinical value. But such work often sets the groundwork for important discoveries down the road. A report released by the Congressional Budget Office last week found that even a 10% reduction in the NIH’s budget could lead to significantly fewer drugs being brought to clinical trials.