Message from Chancellor King on SUNY's Groundbreaking Research and NIH Funding Cuts
February 10, 2025
"Late Friday we learned that the National Institutes of Health had implemented a sudden cut in research funding for the so-called 'F&A' expenses that researchers rely on for equipment, staffing, and other overhead costs. The New York Times quoted experts saying that the cuts 'would have a devastating effect on studies aimed at finding treatments for diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.'
"The SUNY Research Foundation's initial estimate is that the change – which restricts F&A to 15%, effective immediately for all current grants for go-forward expenses starting today, as well as for all new grants – will cost SUNY research an estimated $79 million for current grants, including more than $21 million over just the next five months (through June 30).
"At SUNY, we are proud of our extraordinary researchers and the life-changing, groundbreaking medical discoveries you have dedicated your careers to advancing. From working to cure Alzheimer's disease to improving cancer outcomes, from supporting 9/11 first responders to detecting brain aneurysms, your research is essential to our national security and economic leadership. NIH's cuts represent an existential threat to public health.
"While I cannot predict how this will all unfold, I want to make three commitments to our faculty and staff:
"First, our resolve to continue to lead the way in groundbreaking research is unshakeable. As Governor Hochul said over the weekend: 'students, jobs, and lives are on the line.'
"Second, we will take every step possible to protect your vital work. Earlier today, the New York State Attorney General – with support from SUNY – joined 21 other states in filing a lawsuit challenging the legality of the federal order and seeking to temporarily halt its implementation while it is challenged in court. SUNY has been working closely with the Attorney General, the Governor's Office, and leading national higher education organizations, and we will continue to do so.
"And third, we will always communicate accurate, timely information to the SUNY community to share what we know, when we know it. I recognize that uncertainty about the potential impact on our campuses stemming from a range of recent federal actions can be unsettling, and it is important that we continue to respond with consistency and care.
"SUNY will provide an update on NIH's planned cuts as soon as we have additional information. In the meantime, the SUNY Board of Trustees and I remain grateful for all that you do, every day, to advance SUNY's pillar of research and scholarship as you leverage the power of knowledge and innovation to advance the public good."
About the State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state’s only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students amongst its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2023, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum. To learn more about how SUNY creates opportunities, visit suny.edu.
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Holly Liapis
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