COGR Joins Amici Curiae Brief in Support of NIH Grant Terminations Case (Nos. ​ 25-1611, 25-1612)

This document is a brief submitted by several major higher education associations as amici curiae to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, supporting plaintiffs challenging the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) unprecedented mass termination of research grants in 2025 based on non-scientific, policy-driven criteria. The amici argue that NIH’s actions undermine the longstanding practice of science-based, peer-reviewed funding decisions, disrupt the essential collaborative relationship between research institutions and the federal government, jeopardize ongoing scientific research and training, and cannot be adequately remedied through monetary damages or by recourse to the Court of Federal Claims, which lacks jurisdiction and the ability to grant appropriate equitable relief. They urge the court to affirm the district court’s ruling in favor of the plaintiffs, warning that failure to do so will inflict lasting harm on U.S. biomedical research, waste taxpayer investment, and compromise the nation’s research infrastructure.