By FieldPulse Staff · March 19, 2026
Tags: strategy, leadership
STAT survey of 1,000 researchers: 26% laid off lab staff, 40% canceled research, 66% counseled students to leave academia. NIH distributed 74% fewer new competitive grants through early March.
A nationwide survey of nearly 1,000 NIH-funded researchers published by STAT News on March 19, 2026 found that more than a quarter had already laid off lab members, over 40% had canceled planned research projects, and two-thirds had counseled students to consider careers outside academia — all as a direct result of ongoing federal funding cuts and grant processing delays. The NIH had distributed 74% fewer new competitive grant awards through early March compared to the same period averaged over fiscal years 2021–2024. Training grants, which support the next generation of biomedical scientists,