US funding cut threatens HIV research at Ghent University Hospital
HIV research at the University Hospital Ghent (UZ Gent) is at risk after the abrupt suspension of 1.5 million dollars (1.3 million euros) in US funding. The funding cut, part of a policy shift by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), threatens ongoing collaborations with major American universities and could lead to job losses.
The NIH has halted funding to non-US partners as part of a policy review, questioning the necessity of foreign contributions. Professor Linos Vandekerckhove, who has led the HIV research at UZ Gent for a decade, warns that the decision undermines crucial studies using unique HIV patient samples and that it could result in job losses for lab technicians, postdocs, and researchers.
Similar funding issues are affecting research groups across Europe. The NIH demands stronger justification for foreign involvement in US-funded projects. “Some centres may have communicated insufficiently transparently, but now we face a very large, abrupt termination of excellent programmes”, Vandekerckhove said.
Vandekerckhove has called for support from the university, the Flemish government, and the EU to mitigate the impact of the funding loss. He warns that without intervention, vital HIV research could come to a standstill.
“Some centres may have communicated insufficiently transparently, but now we face a very large, abrupt termination of excellent programmes”
Concerns are mounting that the US is increasingly scrutinising international academic ties. On Thursday, Flemish universities reported receiving questionnaires from the US embassy about their diversity policies and international affiliations.
Flemish education minister Zuhal Demir, while nuancing the survey, also condemned the move and stressed the need to protect academic freedom. An inter-ministerial meeting on the broader relationship with the US is scheduled for this week. The questionnaire is expected to be discussed there.
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