A recent nationwide survey administered by STAT has shown that NIH-funded researchers are losing ambition for their work and have also been forced to close their labs. Upon Trump's return to office in January 2025, many researchers experienced extreme cuts to funding, resulting in lay-offs and the termination of planned research.
Beyond quantitative impacts, the Ford School's Jason Owen-Smith has noted an effect on passion for work in research and anxiety within the industry. "This is the equivalent of working in a company that feels like it's on the verge of bankruptcy... These are not the conditions where people are going to be able to focus really well on the kind of high-risk, high-reward science that many of the federal agencies, NIH included, say that they want," said Jason Owen-Smith. He explained that the cuts to research have cultivated a culture of fear for those pursuing these careers; hence, work productivity has decreased.
