DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) — Cuts to medical research funding could have major impacts in North Carolina, including jobs.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) announced it would cap reimbursement for indirect costs incurred on university research at 15%. This means for Duke University, the rate cap could “drastically slow down the pace of scientific discovery.”

Behind every grant is a team working to save lives. Federal funding is essential to their research, the university says.

Duke University says their research is powered by tens of thousands of North Carolinians, including patients in active studies.

“I think it’s one of the most important institutions in terms of the economy,” Vice Dean for Basic Science, Dr. Colin Duckett said. He added the proposed changes of capping indirect expenses for grants from the National Institutes of Health could have a “ripple effect” throughout the state.

“I think we’re feeling it in all areas, whether that be in cancer research or in the ways that we would treat infectious disease,” Duckett said. “I think any of the numbers and any of the estimates that we run are pretty devastating.”

A federal judge has blocked the new policy for now, but concerns remain throughout the Duke research community.

“If you compare where we are today to where we were a year ago, the amount of money that’s been released by the NIH in particular is dramatically lower,” Duckett said.

The university said over 25,000 jobs in North Carolina could be at risk and could mean at least $5 billion in “lost economic activity” for our state.

ABC11 spoke with Oscar Larraza, who is a Duke medical student and did research for the school. He said he focused on global health and looked into healthcare access in Tanzania.

He thinks cuts to any funding are devastating for patients, especially at such large centers like Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill that treat millions of people a year.

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“There’s a lot that most people don’t see that happens behind the scenes,” Larraza said. “Understanding how medications work, how treatments or patients work, even the diagnostic process. …I think what makes institutions like Duke stand out is the funding and the commitment to really advancing health and technology.”

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