A Trump administration order to freeze communication at the National Institutes of Health has disrupted scientific research in Arizona and across the country.
Those delays could have a big impact on the growing biotechnology research cluster in Phoenix involving many companies and state universities.
Acting NIH Director Dr. Matthew J. Memoli issued clarity a week after the freeze that many routine operations could continue, but that the “short pause” by the administration will allow the new NIH team to “set up a process for review and prioritization.” That along with a Trump administration goal to massively cut the federal budget leaves many in the industry including in Phoenix uncertainty on how much of the tens of millions of research dollars usually sent to Arizona each year will continue.
