The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced Monday that it will suspend or revoke federal research funding for universities that maintain diversity and inclusion programs or engage in boycotts of Israeli companies—an abrupt policy shift that could significantly reshape the U.S. biomedical research landscape.
According to a notice released by the agency, NIH “reserves the right to terminate financial assistance awards and recover all funds” from institutions that fail to comply with new federal guidelines banning DEI-related research and so-called “prohibited boycotts.” The policy applies to new, renewal, supplemental, or continuation grants awarded on or after April 21.
The move mirrors recent actions by the Trump administration to freeze funding at universities such as Harvard and Columbia, citing concerns about antisemitism and ideological bias tied to campus activism and DEI initiatives.
Harvard, which received $488 million in NIH funding in fiscal year 2024, responded with a lawsuit Monday after its federal grants were suspended. President Alan M. Garber warned the administration’s actions have “stark real-life consequences for patients, students, faculty, staff, researchers, and the standing of American higher education in the world.”
The NIH, which distributes more than $48 billion annually to support roughly 60,000 research projects across 3,000 institutions, plays a pivotal role in advancing U.S. scientific discovery. Harvard Medical School alone received over $171 million in NIH grants last year, according to The Harvard Crimson.
Critics say the new guidelines weaponize research funding to stifle academic freedom and undermine decades of progress toward equity in health and science. A recent lawsuit by a public health group and a union representing university workers alleges that diversity-focused grants were “abruptly canceled… without scientifically-valid explanation or cause,” jeopardizing years of work and millions in investments.
A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services defended the policy, saying funds are being terminated when they “don’t align with NIH or HHS priorities.”
Still, medical educators warn the consequences could be far-reaching. “The partnership between NIH and academic institutions is the cornerstone of our nation’s scientific progress,” said the Association of American Medical Colleges. “We remain fully committed to improving the health of all Americans—a goal that requires robust federal funding for research.”
