The National Institutes of Health's recent policy change to restrict federal grant payments to foreign collaborators may jeopardize crucial cancer research efforts involving international teams, particularly studies aimed at improving outcomes for women with breast cancer.
N.I.H. Policy Shift Could Hinder Global Research Projects

N.I.H. Policy Shift Could Hinder Global Research Projects
New restrictions on foreign payments threaten vital cancer studies and international partnerships.
A new policy from the National Institutes of Health (N.I.H.) has raised concerns among scientists regarding its potential impact on international research collaborations, particularly in the field of cancer studies. As of May 2025, the N.I.H. has barred U.S. scientists from using federal grant funds to pay foreign partners, effectively halting many crucial research initiatives that rely on global collaboration.
One significant study at risk involves a team of scientists based in Denmark, focused on prolonging the lives of women suffering from estrogen-driven breast cancer. Alarmingly, one in five patients who have battled this condition experiences a life-threatening recurrence after ten or more years in remission. By identifying these individuals in advance, doctors could initiate treatment to prevent cancer recurrence—an objective hindered by the new policy.
Federal health officials cited inconsistencies within internal systems and databases as the reason for the drastic changes, expressing difficulty in accurately tracking sub-award payments. Despite implementing stricter monitoring requirements in 2023 following critical reports from the Government Accountability Office (G.A.O.), officials deem current visibility “unacceptable” and are pushing for radical change.
The fallout from this new directive reaches beyond a single research project; thousands of active international collaborations now face uncertainty. Experts warn that without financial support for foreign partnerships, the progress already made in understanding cancer and other critical conditions could be stalled, adversely affecting future innovations that benefit American patients and the global community.