BETHESDA, Md. — The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation issued the following statement in response to the recent announcement by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that it will set the reimbursement rate for indirect costs to 15% (applicable to both existing and new grants as of February 10):
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is deeply concerned by the devastating impact that severely and suddenly limiting indirect costs will have on the CF research community and the United States biomedical research system. Indirect costs — funding not accounted for elsewhere which covers expenses such as equipment and lab space — support the critical infrastructure needed to conduct research. We believe it is reasonable to examine current NIH policies and explore thoughtful, judicious policy solutions for increasing transparency and establishing appropriate indirect cost rates. However, the rapid implementation and scale of these cuts, in addition to the decision to apply them to existing grants with pre-negotiated indirect cost rates, will significantly hamper research institutions. This will impede critical scientific advances that patients need.
Biomedical breakthroughs require a sound U.S. research infrastructure supported by the NIH. The original research that led to the discovery and characterization of the gene responsible for CF was funded in part by both the NIH and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The NIH-driven Human Genome Project and associated advances in DNA sequencing technology accelerated CF research and enabled the development of groundbreaking, molecularly targeted CF therapeutics. Those advances — and modern CF therapeutics development more broadly — have been built on the foundation of decades of basic research, translational research, and clinical trials supported or carried out by the NIH.
The CF story of progress and transformation would not exist as it does today without the NIH and the research it supports.
The CF Foundation is dedicated to protecting CF research, which is vital to ensuring that people with CF have the opportunity to lead long, fulfilling lives. As this situation evolves, we are actively determining how we can best support the CF research community. We remain committed to collaborating with our community and with the NIH to effectively treat and ultimately cure CF.
About the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is the world's leader in the search for a cure for cystic fibrosis. The Foundation funds more CF research than any other organization, and nearly every CF drug available today was made possible because of Foundation support. Based in Bethesda, Md., the Foundation also supports and accredits a national care center network that has been recognized by the National Institutes of Health as a model of care for a chronic disease. The CF Foundation is a donor-supported nonprofit organization. For more information, visit cff.org.
Media Contact
Katie Haswell
khaswell@cff.org
240-200-3706