To the Case Western Reserve University community,
Yesterday, U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelly issued a nationwide preliminary injunction that prohibits the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from moving to implement the 15% cap on indirect costs that the agency announced last month. This means that, at this time, NIH-funded research being conducted at Case Western Reserve will continue at our current agreed-upon indirect cost rates.
As Judge Kelly wrote in her ruling: “The imminent risk of halting life-saving clinical trials, disrupting the development of innovative medical research and treatment, and shuttering of research facilities, without regard for current patient care, warranted the issuance of a nationwide temporary restraining order to maintain the status quo.”
This injunction is preliminary while Judge Kelly hears full arguments in three separate lawsuits filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts: by the Association of American Medical Colleges and other hospital groups; 22 state attorneys general; and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, the American Council on Education and the Association of American Universities.
While concerns remain about the slowing of research funding and the potential for indirect cost caps, we are grateful to these groups—and many others with whom we’ve partnered—for advocating on behalf of researchers to conduct their meaningful, life-changing work. We will continue to update you as information on this critical topic becomes available.
Sincerely,
Eric W. Kaler
President