NIH chaos: what it means for Institut Pasteur (video)

By Soizic Sergeant, Head of International Division - GO

Click to play the video

NIH under transformation 

Currently, the NIH is going through major changes.  

About 2,500 staff were laid off, including the director of NIAID—the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.  

More than 2,000 grants have been suddenly terminated, including topics such as HIV, vaccines, coronaviruses and emerging pathogens. There are also delays in the publication of funding calls, in proposal reviews, and in grant awards, because the DOGE staff are screening all of them. This demonstrates strong political pressure on scientific decisions, which is new.  

A significant change concerns international partnerships. Since May, the NIH no longer allows subawards to foreign institutions, meaning that non-U.S. organizations like Institut Pasteur can no longer receive funding through U.S. universities leading the grant. The NIH plans to introduce a new funding system later this year, allowing only direct funding to foreign institutions.  

Impact for Institut Pasteur and affected staff 

The impact of the terminations is quite significant. In total, we estimate a financial loss of around 2.7 million dollars for Institut Pasteur. We could lose even more in the future, as this situation may weaken long-standing scientific relationships and reduce new opportunities with U.S. partners. 

A few grants have been terminated due to their topics — for example, one related to coronavirus research. More recently, the NIH has cancelled the extension of PICREID, a major award on emerging infectious diseases led by Anavaj Sakuntabhai and Etienne Simon-Lorière.  

At least 7 subawards were also terminated due to the new policy of the NIH on foreign partnerships. This has a direct impact on several research units that heavily rely on these funds.  

We stand united with the affected staff, especially colleagues who were recruited under these grants. The Direction has taken internal measures to ensure the continuity of their salaries until the end of their contracts. 

In response to the situation, Yasmine Belkaid reached out to Jeffery Taubenberger, the acting director of the NIAID, to voice Institut Pasteur’s concerns. Meanwhile, affected researchers and the Grants Office are working with U.S. universities to navigate NIH policies and explore alternative ways to collaborate. 

Temporary freeze on NIH applications 

A few researchers contacted the Grants Office to ask if they can still apply to the NIH.  

Clear guidance from the NIH is still missing. Direct funding to non-U.S. institutions is technically still possible, but for now, any proposal with a foreign subaward should be on hold, as a new funding system is expected by the end of September. That is why we’ve temporarily removed NIH calls from the Grants Office tools, like calendars and Grant Finder. We don’t recommend applying until new guidance comes out.  

Even if the next NIH policy allows international partnerships again, we will need to examine it carefully — especially to avoid excessive administrative burden, or situations that may not align with Institut Pasteur’s values. 

We are also concerned about some key research areas that are now unsupported. In some cases, there are no viable alternatives from French or EU funding. We are actively looking for other funding options, including U.S. and international private foundations. 

To sum up, the situation is still evolving. Despite the uncertainty, we’re adapting, staying in close contact with our partners, and doing everything we can to support the teams involved.  

Please reach out to GOinternational@pasteur.fr for any questions or concerns you may have.