Stirred & Shaken: Navigating Potential Disruptions at the U.S. National Institutes of Health

The Trump administration’s abrupt implementation of a 15% cap on NIH indirect cost reimbursements—down from negotiated rates averaging 40–75%—has triggered a crisis across biomedical research and development. For biopharma, this $4 billion annual cut jeopardizes early-stage drug discovery programs, with SBIR/STTR grants (critical for small innovators) facing delays that could stall 37% of preclinical projects in infectious diseases and CNS therapies.  

Medtech faces parallel disruption: DNA sequencing leaders like Illumina and PacBio saw immediate 7–14% stock drops as NIH-funded academic labs (44% of their customer base) face equipment budget freezes. The policy threatens to unwind collaborative ecosystems, with 80% of novel drug candidates originating from NIH-funded academic research. Indeed, 43% of 2025’s Drugs to Watch™ candidates were underpinned by NIH-supported research.

This webinar will analyze cascading impacts including clinical trial suspensions, talent attrition, and risks to U.S. leadership in pandrug-resistant infections R&D. Panellists will examine the legal challenges from 22 states and institutional survival strategies alongside projections for therapeutic pipeline erosion through 2030.