NIH Stops Canceling Research Grants Following Court Ruling

THURSDAY, June 26, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has stopped canceling biomedical research grants after a federal judge said hundreds of those cuts were illegal.

This decision comes just days after U.S. District Judge William Young ordered the NIH to restore more than 900 canceled grants. The ruling stemmed from a Boston case, in which researchers and several state attorneys general challenged the terminations, STAT News said in a report.

An internal email sent Tuesday by Michelle Bulls, director of the NIH’s Office of Policy for Extramural Research Administration, said no more grant cancellations should move forward.

“Effective immediately, please do not terminate any additional grant projects,” Bulls wrote. “Please unrelease all grant projects that are in the [queue] to be terminated. Again, do not terminate any additional grant projects.”

The email was sent to top NIH officials who oversee grants to outside researchers — including those at universities and medical centers across the country.

It’s not yet clear why the NIH reversed course, but the judge’s orders likely played a major role. The NIH and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have not yet commented.

A tracking database shows that more than 2,600 NIH grants totaling close to $9 billion have been canceled since President Donald Trump took office in January, STAT News reported.

Many of these grants focused on topics such as diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) or LGBTQ+ health research.

The recent ruling reinstates grants submitted by researchers who were either part of the lawsuit or who lived in states whose attorneys general joined the case.

After last week’s decision, an HHS spokesperson said the agency “stands by its decision to end funding for research that prioritized ideological agendas over scientific rigor and meaningful outcomes for the American people.”

On Tuesday, the same judge rejected the administration’s request to pause his ruling, writing:

“Even a day’s delay further destroys the unmistakable legislative purpose from its accomplishment.”

For now, NIH staff have been told to stop all grant terminations until further notice.

More information

The American Association for the Advancement of Science has more on federal funding cuts to medical research.

SOURCE: STAT News, June 25, 2025