This week a U.S. District Court judge ruled that hundreds of NIH grants termination were “void and illegal.” The decision came as a relief to the broader scientific community, which has been deeply impacted by billions of dollars in funding cuts by the Trump administration in recent months. The relief may only be temporary, as the ruling could be appealed.
Proponents of these funding cuts often cite that what they consider trivial research is a waste of taxpayer money.
In this week’s installment of a new video series from STAT, senior multimedia producer Alex Hogan takes a look at Monday’s ruling and the stakes of ongoing court battles over government grant funding. We also hear from Reed Jobs, founder of the cancer-focused venture firm Yosemite, who recently spoke at a STAT event about how these “trivial” studies can lead to blockbuster discoveries.
