Stony Brook University's Vice President for Research and Innovation, Kevin Gardner, traveled to Washington, D.C., on June 4 to advocate for Congressional support of the university's health research initiatives. This visit was prompted by recent policy changes that threaten the university's work in areas such as cancer, neuroscience, and infectious diseases.
Gardner highlighted the importance of Stony Brook's collaboration with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in advancing medical science and public health. He expressed concerns over potential indirect cost reimbursement caps on NIH funding, which could result in annual losses of $24 million for the university. If these caps extend to all federal agencies, losses could increase to $33 million per year.
“We’ve already seen direct financial reductions from grant terminations, which has caused turmoil due to the lack of notice,” Gardner stated. “These terminations have directly impacted 35 postdocs and graduate students, who have lost their salaries. NIH funding is indispensable for sustaining our vital research and its far-reaching benefits. Cuts to this funding would undermine critical research with national impact, halt progress on diseases affecting millions of Americans, and disrupt the education and training of early-career scientists.”
Gardner's efforts in Washington reflect similar actions by Stony Brook University's Office for Research and Innovation aimed at securing bipartisan support for essential research funding. He met with representatives from Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s office, Senator Chuck Schumer’s office, Rep. Andrew Garbarino’s office, Rep. Laura Gillen’s office, Rep. Nick LaLota’s office, and Rep. Tom Suozzi’s office. These meetings were organized by Stony Brook’s Office of Federal Relations to emphasize the significance of Stony Brook Research and promote its federal priorities.