U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NIH News
NIH Office of the Director (OD) <https://www.nih.gov/institutes-nih/nih-office-director>
For Immediate Release: April 24, 2025
NIH REVIEWS POLICIES TO PROMOTE ACADEMIC FREEDOM
NIH will prioritize academic freedom in pursuit of public trust
One of my key priorities as NIH Director is to foster a culture in which scientists are incentivized to engage in open, academic discourse in pursuit of NIH's mission to seek fundamental knowledge and improve the health of all Americans. Open debate is the cornerstone of scientific progress as interrogating evidence and challenging the status quo are essential for ensuring scientific rigor and meaningful results.
Starting today, NIH will undertake a comprehensive review of all policies and practices within its Intramural Research Program (IRP) to establish academic freedom as the rule and not the exception. With principles of academic freedom in place, NIH scientists can be certain they are afforded the ability to engage in open, academic discourse as part of their official duties and in their personal capacities without risk of official interference, professional disadvantage or workplace retaliation.
NIH policies have always supported the public dissemination of research. However, academic freedom matters most in the edge cases where scientists are pursuing evidence that others find inconvenient or objectionable. By prioritizing academic freedom across the agency, we can work to restore public trust in NIH's ability to carry out its mission.
Jay Bhattacharya, M.D., Ph.D.
Director, National Institutes of Health
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit <www.nih.gov>.
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