UPR at Risk of Losing $5.4 Million in Health Research Funding Under Trump’s Proposed Cuts

The University of Puerto Rico (UPR) could lose $5.4 million in health research funding under President Donald Trump’s proposal to cap administrative and operational costs at 15% for National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants, according to an analysis by the Centro de Periodismo Investigativo (CPI).

The proposed cap would impact expenses essential to research, including utilities (water, electricity, and internet), non-academic staff salaries, and building and lab maintenance.

UPR has $9.6 million allocated for administrative expenses tied to ongoing health research. If Trump’s proposed cap takes effect, that amount would shrink to $4.15 million, according to the CPI’s analysis.

“Many essential research-related tasks aren’t factored into researchers’ calculations because the institution absorbs those logistical and operational responsibilities so the researcher can carry out their study. If I’m in a lab and no one can come to clean the air filters or fix broken equipment, eventually the research cannot be conducted,” explained epidemiologist Cruz María Nazario, who is involved in a research project at UPR’s Medical Sciences Campus (RCM, in Spanish) in collaboration with Yale University, studying risk factors for chronic diseases in Caribbean populations.

Currently, the NIH funds 109 research projects in Puerto Rico, with 67% conducted at UPR. Of the $78,764,834 allocated by the federal agency to the island, UPR receives $51,694,003. Some of these grants are set to provide external funding to the university through 2029. The Comprehensive Cancer Center, which operates under UPR as established by Act 203 of 2004, would also be affected, facing cuts totaling $311,260.

“The elimination of research funds at the UPR will have a devastating impact on our ability to conduct high-quality scientific studies. Restrictions on indirect costs severely limit the resources available to our academic units, affecting essential infrastructure for laboratories and restricting research opportunities for our students and faculty,” said UPR Interim President Orestes Quesada in a written statement.

In addition to the UPR, the Inter American University, the Central University of the Caribbean, and the Ana G. Méndez University System would be affected. The cuts would also impact the Ponce Health Sciences University (PHSU) and San Juan Bautista medical schools. Puerto Rican universities would face a loss of up to $7.9 million.

The reduction in UPR funds would impact the membership of the Brotherhood of Non-Teaching Exempt Employees (HEEND, in Spanish), as “many university system employees” are paid from these external funds, said its president Carlos De León.

“At the Medical Sciences Campus, for example, Information Systems workers are all paid, in one way or another, through these indirect costs. The same goes for secretarial staff, office administrators, and personnel handling payments — expenses that the UPR should cover with its regular budget but instead relies on indirect funds from these grants,” said De León.

The UPR Interim President acknowledged that the measure could mean the dismissal of administrative and technical employees from the university system.

“The impact on laboratories and the university’s operational capacity would force a restructuring, endangering the job stability of many employees in the institution. Most universities do not have sufficient funds to intervene and cover this situation. It is not viable,” added the interim official, who noted that universities across Puerto Rico face “similar difficulties.”

Due to adjustments imposed by the Fiscal Control Board (JCF, in Spanish) since 2017, UPR faced the elimination of “the formula” applied by Act 2 of 1966, which granted it 9.6% of the Puerto Rico Government’s General Fund. The General Fund allocation for UPR was reduced by 49%: from $911 million in 2017 to $466 million in 2022. In the fiscal year 2023-24, the General Fund contribution to UPR was around $441 million, the same amount approved for the 2025-26 budget.

“If the Fiscal Control Board does not account for these cuts, it could mean a final blow to the UPR. If they don’t make adjustments to balance (the budget), whether by returning the formula or part of what they have taken from us, it would be the final blow, especially for the Medical Sciences Campus,” warned Rafael Méndez Tejeda, a professor at UPR’s Carolina Campus.

The HEEND president agreed that Trump’s measure should be a wake-up call for the JCF not to rely on the external funds UPR receives as a safeguard for its operation.

“The problem at the UPR is that when the JCF reduces the budget, it basically tells the university administration: ‘Look, you have a lot of money there from indirect costs. So, you can use those funds to subsidize the University’s operation.’ But those funds have been used to hire staff not directly related to the research,” said De León.

Medical Sciences Campus Faces the Hardest Hit 

Although seven of the UPR’s 11 campuses currently have NIH grants, the RCM would be the most impacted with a $5,016,799 cut in indirect funds for 47 active research projects. In other words, the RCM would bear 92% of the funding cut faced by the public university system.

RCM Rector Myrna L. Quiñones Feliciano told the CPI in a written statement that she is assessing the potential impact of the cuts and exploring alternatives to uphold “commitments to teaching, research, and community service.”

“So far, neither the research, services to the public nor the payments to students funded by federal funds have been affected by the cuts proposed by President Donald Trump’s administration. These activities will continue in effect for now,” said Quiñones Feliciano.

Among the research conducted by the RCM are public health studies on new approaches to address specific types of cancer and others on viruses, such as COVID-19, dengue, Zika, and the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Ongoing research evaluating the implications of environmental pollutants on Puerto Ricans’ health, virus management in rural and vulnerable populations, and even studies beginning to explore artificial intelligence for health management would also be affected.

For Nazario, Trump’s efforts aim to impact research that generates knowledge about the needs of minorities or territories like Puerto Rico, potentially leading to a public health crisis.

“If you can’t conduct research important to our island, let’s say it’s an infectious condition, if you don’t investigate it and don’t know how it spreads, how to treat it, how to identify it, how to diagnose it, an epidemic of that disease could develop because we lack the knowledge,” warned the expert.

Implications for Other UPR Campuses 

The UPR would also see cuts in 13 research projects at the Río Piedras Campus, five at the Mayagüez University Campus, three in Aguadilla, two in Cayey, one in Ponce, and one in Humacao.

The impact on these 25 projects would mean a $456,774 cut for administration and operation expenses at these six campuses.

In the case of the Río Piedras Campus, the second most impacted campus, it would suffer a $269,716 cut in administrative funds granted by the NIH.

Río Piedras’s Rector Angelica Varela Llavona said: “These essential expenses, known as indirect costs, are crucial and represent a significant investment to maintain cutting-edge research. Currently, most of the campus’s funding to cover indirect costs fluctuates between 34% and 49%. Implementing a 15% cap on support for indirect costs would drastically reduce funding and restrict research activity at UPR.”

Varela Llavona urged the Puerto Rican government to seek measures to mitigate the impact on the UPR if the cuts promoted by the federal government go through.

“We ask the local government to implement mechanisms that mitigate the adverse impact on the research ecosystem. Investment in science, technology, and mathematics (STEM) careers not only strengthens competitiveness in the global economy but also ensures that science and innovation benefit all of society,” she noted.

Governor Jenniffer González did not respond to the CPI’s request for comment on the potential impact of Trump’s proposed NIH grant cuts on the UPR.

Among the research at other campuses that would be affected are studies on neurological conditions, such as new approaches to understanding epilepsy, others in the biomedical sector, nanomedicine, and breastfeeding, among other public health-focused studies.

For climatologist Méndez Tejeda, Trump’s threat to research funds disproportionately affects the public university due to the budget cuts it has faced since 2017. He said other universities in the United States that survive on million-dollar donations could absorb the cuts that would limit administrative and operational expenses, but not the UPR.

“Institutions like Harvard or Columbia, which receive large donations, could somewhat absorb the cuts, although they will feel them later. For the UPR in Río Piedras, the impact will be significant because we don’t have donors. U.S. universities don’t live off tuition but from donations to the endowment fund. It will significantly impact public and private institutes in Puerto Rico,” said the faculty representative to the UPR University Board.

The measure that the Trump administration announced last Friday, February 7, prompted 22 states to demand a court order to stop the policy’s implementation, arguing it “harms medical research.” Judge Angel Kelley of the Massachusetts District Court temporarily blocked the proposal in those states. Other similar lawsuits were filed in the Massachusetts District by associations of academic and health institutions to halt Trump’s new policy related to public health and research.

The threat of these research fund cuts comes amid instability in the public university system, including the resignation of UPR President Luis Ferrao on February 3.

Impact on Student Training and Development

The reduction of external funds for scientific research would not only limit the UPR’s mission to generate knowledge but also disrupt the professional training of students involved in these studies.

“Once students no longer have opportunities to participate as research assistants, they lose a tremendous opportunity to train with their professors, with researchers, and graduate with excellent research and science preparation. If we cut our capacity to train young scientists, this will ultimately weaken scientific progress — which, I fear, may be the goal,” said Nazario, who taught courses at the RCM for 30 years before retiring.

Professor Méndez Tejeda agreed, noting that many students can only afford their graduate studies through funds allocated in grants to hire teaching assistants.

“These students receive a monthly stipend, so they don’t have to work two part-time jobs off campus; instead, they dedicate themselves to research. The stipend allows them to live as students. If they start cutting grants, we won’t have funds for students to participate in seminars and in places where they will grow as students,” the professor said.

José R. Rosa, president of the RCM General Student Council, did not respond to a CPI interview request to learn how these measures would affect students at his campus.

The UPR Interim President said the university system faces a possible reduction in funding for laboratories and equipment due to Trump’s proposal, limiting scientists’ ability to conduct fundamental research.

He said, like Nazario, that the reduction in NIH grants would mean fewer research opportunities for graduate and postdoctoral students who depend on these funds to advance their scientific careers. He also said if Trump’s measure is implemented, delays or cancellations of critical biomedical studies that could delay advances in essential areas for public health and medicine are anticipated.

This story is made possible through a collaboration between the Centro de Periodismo Investigativo and Open Campus.