On Friday evening, the Trump Administration announced that it was slashing grants funded by the National Institutes of Health by cutting the indirect cost rate, also known as “overhead”—the rate universities charge to cover facilities, utility costs, and more. On our campus, this overhead rate was set to 70% for FY2024 to fund core university operations. A change so sudden and steep would mean catastrophic consequences for publicly funded research, and for higher education in general, at Caltech and across the United States.
In response, academic workers across the country are preparing to take action to defend public research and education.
- On Monday, February 10, the UAW Higher Ed Department is hosting a webinar at 6pm so that workers can learn more about the NIH’s actions and what they mean for academic workers. Join the watch party on campus; RSVP for the location.
- On Wednesday, February 19, academic workers from across the country are holding a National Day of Action to put pressure on our elected representatives to fight back against Trump’s attacks on higher education.
- How would NIH funding disruptions affect you? To help the public and legislators understand what is at stake, CGPU members are sharing their stories about how their research advances the public good and how NIH funding disruptions would impact them. Click here to share yours.
In solidarity,
Sasha Alabugin
Graduate Student Worker, CCE