Canadian researchers who rely on funding from an American agency that saw some of its operations frozen last month due to an executive order by U.S. President Donald Trump are breathing a sigh of relief after the pause was lifted Tuesday 91裸聊视频� but they91裸聊视频檙e not celebrating just yet.
The move comes almost two weeks after the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was ordered to pause reviewing proposals for funding research projects, which scientists and doctors say is critical to advance health research. Last year, over $40 million of NIH funding went towards Canadian projects.
York University professor Godfred Boateng, who sits on the review committee, was invited to assess applications for the NIH91裸聊视频檚 $48-billion budget this year.
He explains that the directive to pause all meetings and review trainings came from a scientific review officer at the NIH and referenced Trump91裸聊视频檚 executive order to cancel the health agency91裸聊视频檚 January schedule.
91裸聊视频淢y only concern was the fact that researchers who may have worked hard and submitted grant applications may not have the opportunity for their grant applications to be reviewed,91裸聊视频� Boateng said.
U.S. President Donald Trump made a series of executive orders that week, which also included ending federal spending on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and mandating policy that the U.S. would only recognize 91裸聊视频渢wo sexes, male and female.91裸聊视频�
On Tuesday, Boateng said the health agency resumed scheduling for meetings in February without acknowledging the prior pause that had taken place.An NIH spokesperson said Tuesday that the health department is working to align with Trump91裸聊视频檚 agenda.
After finding out the news that reviews were back on, Canadian doctors and researchers say they are still eagerto see what research projects will get funded 91裸聊视频� particularly when it comes to DEI research, and studies on global health.
Dawn Bowdish, an immunologist, said she91裸聊视频檚 worried research that even mentions sex will be entirely dropped because of the executive order that prompted the pause in the first place. She fears this could happen behind the scenes after reviewers score applications.
91裸聊视频淪cientists I think are concerned that decisions may be made at that administrative level to either cut excellent work or alternatively to fund work that doesn91裸聊视频檛 hit the bar of excellence,91裸聊视频� Bowdish, professor of medicine at McMaster University, said.
She91裸聊视频檚 concerned about the future of her own research on how the aging immune system affects arthritis because it distinguishes female and male responses in mice. The project is currently in the third year of a four-year NIH grant for $30,000 a year.
91裸聊视频淏ased on the instructions that the Trump government is giving now, even acknowledging that there are differences in the biology of the immune system which, by the way, there are91裸聊视频�. Suddenly, all of a sudden that could be contentious,91裸聊视频� she said.
In this political climate, she said it91裸聊视频檚 unlikely the grant will get extended if they need more time.
91裸聊视频淲hat will happen if we91裸聊视频檙e not allowed to report stuff like that anymore?91裸聊视频� she said. 91裸聊视频淚 really never thought that I91裸聊视频檇 have to worry about this.91裸聊视频�
Canadian researchers rely heavily on NIH funding, which is much larger than that provided by Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Last year, it was just under $1.3 billion according to its website. The government proposed investing more in CIHR in its fall budget, but it91裸聊视频檚 unclear if that91裸聊视频檒l come to fruition since parliament is prorogued.
American-Canadian immunologist Juan Carlos Z煤帽iga-Pfl眉cker said the recent issues with U.S. funding illuminates just how much the Canadian government is underfunding health research.
91裸聊视频淚 feel that we are making sure that Canadians are headed to a real disaster in terms of funding levels and our ability to develop new therapies and come up with the necessary discoveries,91裸聊视频� said Z煤帽iga-Pfl眉cker chair of the department of immunology at the University of Toronto.
Veena Sriram, Canada research chair in global health policy at the University of British Columbia, said the fact that there was a pause in the review of grant funding signals a resistance to independent research. 91裸聊视频淧articularly, science that does not appear to kind of suit an ideology that might be in favour for particular governments at the moment.91裸聊视频�
She applied for an NIH grant to study bicycle policies and governance in India, and said there is reason to believe the federal agency might pull funding for global health projects.
Trump91裸聊视频檚 executive orders have stated that he wants taxpayer dollars to be focused on advancing the health of Americans, which began with awithdrawal from the World Health Organization shortly after his inauguration.
Sriram and others see this as an alarmingly narrow approach to research that won91裸聊视频檛 get to the heart of health issues.
91裸聊视频淭he challenge now if you take a nationalistic, domestic focused approach to research is that you miss a major part of the picture by focusing very narrowly in one particular context. You91裸聊视频檙e not seeing how that issue that you91裸聊视频檙e researching is impacted by these global forces,91裸聊视频� Sriram said, referencing the pandemic as a stark example.
91裸聊视频淚 think we need to be very concerned and we have to also ensure that we are staying vigilant here in Canada and in other contexts so that we can protect independent research,91裸聊视频� Sriram said.
