Funding Threatened for IU School of Medicine Amid Federal Cuts

Funding for the Indiana University School of Medicine is threatened due to federal cuts. The Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDRMP) was slashed by 57% in a recent bill passed by Congress.

The school had received $715,000 from CDRMP in 2023 to improve treatment for mild traumatic brain injuries. Dr. Nicholas Port, an IU optometry professor and expert in treating traumatic brain injuries, is worried about the impact of the cuts.

"The CDRMP is a congressionally mandated research program in the Department of Defense," Port said. "It's been around for at least a decade or two, maybe more, and they fund biomedical research that is relevant to the mission of the Department of Defense."

In 2024, the Department of Defense had $1.5 billion allocated to CDRMP, which was dispersed to researchers across the country. The cuts mean that researchers fear their funding will be reduced.

"Well, grants are already very competitive, so they're only funding well less than 10% of the proposals that are submitted each cycle each year," Port said. "There will be fewer grants by 50% or less, so they may only fund 40% of what they funded last year."

Port notes that there has been little communication about the future of the funding, and the program's website now reads "page not found." He believes the cuts will have a direct impact on patient care and the development of clinical interventions.

"That will have direct impact on patient care and a direct impact on developing tools and clinical interventions," Port said. "In my case, we have two clinical trial proposals that we're working on proposing. Our chances of getting those funded will go down tremendously."

The cuts may also affect other organizations in Indiana that receive small amounts of CDRMP funding.