The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has cancelled dozens of grants focused on preventing new HIV infections and expanding access to care, sparking concern among scientists that the move will hinder progress towards eliminating the epidemic in the United States.
At least 145 grants, worth nearly $450m, have been terminated since March. The cuts, which are part of a phase-by-phase elimination process, leave many researchers scrambling to secure funding for their research.
“The loss of this research could result in a resurgence of HIV,” said Julia Marcus, a Harvard Medical School professor whose two grants were cancelled. “These drastic cuts are destroying the infrastructure of scientific research and we will lose a generation of scientists.”
The NIH’s decision comes amid controversy over the claim that diversity, equity, and inclusion studies are often used to support racial discrimination. However, researchers argue that these studies are crucial for understanding and addressing health disparities.
“We need to focus on populations most affected by HIV,” said Marcus. “It’s not about promoting ‘discrimination’, it’s about making progress in a country with significant health inequities.”
The cancellation of these grants will have severe consequences, including the loss of funding for research staff, university professors’ salaries, and services for patients.
“This is erasing an entire population of people who have been impacted by an infectious disease,” said Erin Kahle, University of Michigan’s director of the center for sexuality and health disparities. “We are setting ourselves back decades.”
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/31/trump-administration-hiv-research-grant-cuts