Here’s the title:
NIH slashes overhead payments for research, sparking outrage: Move to cut indirect cost rate to 15% could cost universities billions of dollars
Indirect costs were originally meant to fund things like lab equipment needed by the scientists who received the grant. If those days ever existed, they are long gone. In my experience, indirect costs, which previously amounted to at least 30% of an NIH grant, were used by university administrators to fund their favorite leftist projects, including DEI. Cutting these funds by half has naturally elicited howls of protest from university administrators. I’d be happier if they were all prosecuted for fraud, but this is a very good start. Lets see what happens at the NSF.
P.S.
NIH is National Institutes of Health. NSF is National Science Foundation.
If Cornflour hadn’t brought it up, I would have. The big universities, especially the big state universities, subsidize all their nonsense with overhead from research grants.
It’s a drop in the bucket as far as the Federal budget is concerned, but it’s like severing the femoral artery for universities.
Universities spend almost no money of their own on scientific research. The researcher who gets the grant pays for his equipment, any staff he needs, and that portion of his salary that represents time spent on research out of the grant. The university then takes the overhead from the grant and does not have to pay the researcher for his time spent on research. They can use that money to pay for Grievance Studies departments, administrators, etc, and hire academic staff to do the teaching, and they do.
Probably they’ll get some of it back by doing their accounting differently: they’ll recast some expenses as direct expenses. But it’s a step in the right direction, they have not been held accountable for what they do with this money.
Promotions at Brown University School of Medicine, hiring at the FAA, and the rage of the Prince-Electors.
Apparently some universities had rates in the 60% range..
Overhead is used to pay for administrative costs, laboratory space, laboratory heating, AC, maintenance costs, etc. Not for equipment.
Typical university rates are 50% on-campus and 25% off-campus. Off-campus would be if most of the research is done elsewhere, such as a dig in Greece for an archaeologist, for example. Rates tend to be higher at high ranking universities such as MIT or Caltech.
National labs, such a Los Alamos, also charge overhead, which is usually higher.
And companies, such as Lockheed-Martin, even charge higher rates, sometimes over 100%.
I’m ba-ack – with another Peggy Noonan editorial. What can I say, if you don’t like her, don’t read it. But the woman can write and sometimes has interesting thoughts. I think this is one of her best.
It is still amazing to me that the Democratic Party put itself so firmly on the wrong side of this issue. I ask donors and party leaders why, and they can never say how it happened.
In terms of the issue above, you don’t ask society to give you something you deserve—good and just treatment of all transgender folk. Instead you insist that others see reality exactly as you do—that if a man experiences himself as a woman, then you must agree that he is a woman, and this new insight must be incorporated into all human activity, such as sports.
Reaction to the Trump executive order from those who disagree with it has been curiously absent. The reason is that they know they went too far.
The biggest and most politically consequential example of going too far, in the past generation, has been the Democratic Party and illegal immigration. Everyone knows this so I’ll say it quickly. If you deliberately allow many millions to cross the southern border illegally, thus deliberately provoking those who came here legally or were born here, Americans will become a people comfortable with—supportive of—their forced removal, certainly of those who are criminals.
You won’t agree with all of it, but much of it is great.
About the President Trump’s young’uns getting inside the bureacracy’s OODA loop, for example at Treasury, EPA, USAID.
The same methods are probably being applied throughout the Federal agencies. A revolution in governance. But of course the left and the “webees,” civil servants whose motto is “we (will still) be here when you are gone (unelected)” still have their defenders in unelected true believers, federal (political) judges.
But it is a long battle, and even judges aren’t immortal, unlike government programs and agencies?
With the myriad of government programs. the trillions of dollars involved, and lax or even missing oversight, it’s easy to see how all sorts of activities could be concealed, have gone “rogue,” taken on a life of their own, and be completely outside of the ken of those in government who are supposed to monitor and control them.
These programs have escaped into the wild, have become autonomous, and collectively might even be said to form the elements of some sort of shadow government.
One example of this happening is apparently what has happened, developing over the course of the last 80 years, with UFO retrieval and reverse engineering programs, collectively referred to as the “Program” which, if successful, would give those in charge a commanding position, and unlimited power, money, and control.
With the temptation of such a commanding position in sight, and ignorance and confusion among those supposed to have oversight, it is easy to see how such a Program might go rogue.
If you want some facts about Musk and DOGE and what’s going on, highly recommend the first half hour of the All-In Podcast.
Jason and Antonio were working with/for Musk during the Twitter/X takeover and have interesting stories that relate to DOGE and the bureaucracy.
David Sacks joins them in his official capacity to talk about legislation on crypto and a few tidbits about what’s going on with USAID.
(0:00) The Besties intro Antonio Gracias!
(3:11) DOGE takes on USAID
(31:44) Sacks breaks in to talk USAID
(34:00) Sacks explains what he’s working on: Crypto/AI Frameworks
(46:41) The Democratic Party’s shrinking base
(52:33) US Sovereign Wealth Fund + Breaking DOGE/Tax News
(1:09:07) Google to spend $75B on AI buildout in 2025, future of work in the age of AI
(1:23:21) Science Corner: GLP-1 macro study
Overhead is used to pay for administrative costs, laboratory space, laboratory heating, AC, maintenance costs, etc. Not for equipment.
Typical university rates are 50% on-campus and 25% off-campus. — Asklepias
I was in that space, and the above sounds correct. While I had met some people researching in an “off-campus” capacity, I have no idea what their budgeting was like. Our campus was a federal gov. run campus, so it should be, and maybe was, a bit lower in overhead than other places.
One Federal judge discovers “standing” doesn’t just apply to voters and elections. Thus time regarding DOGE and dodgy lefty agencies and webees.
But another Federal judge in NYC goes along with Latisha James in her novel defense of the webees.
So the SCOTUS will have to settle it. Does the Chief Executive really have the authority in the Constitution after all?
There might be a better news source of the X tiff between VP JD Vance and Congressman Ro Khanna.
Vance wants to see Marko Elez brought back to DOGE. If he’s underperforming at this job, according to Vance, then fire him.
Mark Halperin, who is walking a tightrope, IMO, on his 2-Way podcast trying to appeal to both liberals and conservatives, walks back the charges about Eloz’s “racism” to “racially insensitive remarks”– which to Halperin’s credit is more accurate. Remember the old days when you could just be a bigot?
Anyway the exchange is about as direct as you could get without using dueling pistols.
P.S.S.–I’d imagine making it a lot easier for a government activity to escape the oversight and control of the government, to “go rogue,” are the various, elaborate, multi-layered classification/secrecy regimes used by our government, so that if you are not “read into” a classified program, you might not know it even exists.
Manage the very limited number of people who are “read into” a program and, over time, you can probably manage to make that program “drift” ever further from oversight, until it eventually escapes from such oversight,and no one knows that a program exists, or needs to be searched for.
See the “Wilson Memo.”
om
So the SCOTUS will have to settle it. Does the Chief Executive really have the authority in the Constitution after all?
Maybe Musk or someone should offer and/or ask chief Roberts some/for some advice on how to expedite certain cases in what appears to be as close to a National Emergency as it gets.
Yes, there are Three Branches to keep separate, but that separation isn’t there for the Executive Branch when it is needed *NOW*.
Looks like SML Thune has one side of the Legislative Branch chugging along quite nicely—especially with President Trump’s Cabinet picks__13 confirmed and some saying it looks like all will be confirmed in record time (?).
Some Tweaking of the Judicial Branch is needed right now…
“Marko Eloz”, the name just reeks of white supremacy, lol. Probably a lot of Kleagles in his background, lol.
The days when you could point and shriek “racism” and expect to end a career are done.
And while Trump is digging hard to save HIS country, Starmer—no doubt rattled by Trump’s success, and having seen what just happened to “Biden”—is digging fast and furious to destroy his…
The Washington Post reported Friday that the United Kingdom’s deep state has demanded that Apple create a back door for them to retrieve all the content any Apple user worldwide has uploaded to the cloud—what would be an unprecedented erosion of online privacy and civil liberties.
Citing anonymous sources, the Post reported that the British government’s undisclosed order was issued last month. It reportedly requires Apple to give officials blanket capability to view fully encrypted material.
….The Post noted that the access sought by the UK “has no known precedent in major democracies.”….
The Post doesn’t seem to have noticed that the UK, since Starmer has made his policies known, can no longer be considered a democracy.
(Which is what would have happened to the US had Harris “won” in November. )
Two days of hysteria from Maxine Waters makes me wonder if her whole campaign is funded by laundering tax money.
Re UK and Apple, way to not read the room. Think Trump will allow this?
ChatGPT vs DeepSeek, the GOP’s racial issues, and the current Marko Eloz issue…
ChatGPT – are the days when you could point and shriek “racism” and expect to end a career gone?
It depends on the context. While there are still instances where accusations of racism can have serious consequences, there is also a growing skepticism toward knee-jerk reactions and cancel culture. Many people now expect due process, context, and evidence before condemning someone outright. Social media amplifies both outrage and backlash, so while some careers still take a hit from accusations, others survive—or even benefit—depending on how the situation is handled.
Are you thinking of a specific case?
Yes, Marko Eloz
I haven’t heard of Marko Eloz. Could you give me some details about the situation?
DeepSeek – are the days when you could point and shriek “racism” and expect to end a career gone?
The dynamics surrounding accusations of racism and their impact on careers have evolved significantly in recent years, but the idea that such accusations no longer carry weight is an oversimplification. While it’s true that public awareness and sensitivity to issues of race and discrimination have increased, leading to more nuanced conversations, the consequences of being accused of racism still vary widely depending on the context, evidence, and public perception.
Here are a few key points to consider:
• Increased Scrutiny and Accountability: In many cases, accusations of racism are taken more seriously than ever before, especially in the age of social media, where public opinion can quickly amplify such claims. High-profile individuals and organizations often face significant backlash, and careers can indeed be damaged or ended if the accusations are substantiated and widely believed.
• Nuanced Discussions: There is a growing recognition that not all accusations of racism are equal, and context matters. People are more likely to demand evidence and consider intent, impact, and the broader social context before passing judgment. This has led to more complex discussions about what constitutes racism and how it should be addressed.
• Backlash and Pushback: There is also a segment of society that feels that accusations of racism are sometimes used too freely or as a weapon to silence opposing views. This has led to pushback in some cases, where individuals or groups accused of racism have successfully defended themselves, arguing that the accusations were unfounded or politically motivated.
• Cultural and Regional Differences: The impact of an accusation of racism can vary greatly depending on cultural and regional contexts. In some places, such accusations may still carry significant weight and lead to serious consequences, while in others, they may be dismissed more readily.
• Legal and Institutional Responses: Institutions, including employers, educational institutions, and legal systems, have become more proactive in addressing racism. This means that accusations can lead to formal investigations and consequences, even if they don’t result in public shaming or media attention.
In summary, while the days of simply pointing and shrieking “racism” to end a career without any evidence or context may be waning, accusations of racism still have the potential to significantly impact careers and reputations. The key difference is that there is now a greater emphasis on evidence, context, and due process, which can lead to more nuanced outcomes.
DeepSeek – Have you heard of Marko Eloz?
As of my knowledge cutoff in October 2023, I am not familiar with Marko Eloz. It’s possible that he is a private individual, a relatively unknown figure, or someone who has gained prominence after my knowledge cutoff date. If he is a public figure or has been involved in recent events, I recommend checking the latest news or reliable sources for up-to-date information. Let me know if there’s more context you can provide, and I’ll do my best to assist!
Thanks AI’s!
Om – take the EKO substack with a grain of salt since there are no links to back up what he is saying.
Check out these threads which provide a good picture of what is happening with DOGE and USAID.
Ward Carroll brings a short update about a US air strike on an ISIS commander in Somalia, with the knowledge and approval of the “official” Somali government.
Interesting now, since Somalia is one of the countries floated as a potential resettlement area for Gazans.
“Overhead is used to pay for administrative costs, laboratory space, laboratory heating, AC, maintenance costs, etc.”
Or so the school claims. I remember quite well when the prez of the small undergrad college I worked discovered “overhead” costs that came with science grants when a chem guy got a substantial NSF grant. She thought she’d found the end of the rainbow. All of a sudden all science faculty had to apply for research grants, even though we had no grad programs and the research was tailored so undergrads could do it. The college charged 50% and I guarantee none of that money went to paying electric bills etc.
Speaking of Karma being a Beeytch – humble me was bragging not long ago about not getting much spam. Like a couple of spam emails in my spam folder every other day. Ever since that brag – the spam folder has been getting 3-8 spams a couple times a day. Just got 12 after already gotten a bunch today!?
@physicsguy:I guarantee none of that money went to paying electric bills etc.
Money is fungible, so doesn’t matter. Because they got X + Y to spend instead of X they can put Y into whatever they want, doesn’t matter what the Y was specifically intended for.
I would see a lot of ridiculous decisions made because of how university budgets worked. Signature move was to get funding to build something, then stick the legislature with the bills for upkeep and maintenance, instead of forgoing the building of the thing and staying within what they should have been spending.
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Just another open-thread comment about something I read somewhere else.
This might seem like too much inside baseball, but please take a minute to read this brief news report published online in “Science.”
Here’s a link:
https://www.science.org/content/article/nih-slashes-overhead-payments-research-sparking-outrage
Here’s the title:
NIH slashes overhead payments for research, sparking outrage: Move to cut indirect cost rate to 15% could cost universities billions of dollars
Indirect costs were originally meant to fund things like lab equipment needed by the scientists who received the grant. If those days ever existed, they are long gone. In my experience, indirect costs, which previously amounted to at least 30% of an NIH grant, were used by university administrators to fund their favorite leftist projects, including DEI. Cutting these funds by half has naturally elicited howls of protest from university administrators. I’d be happier if they were all prosecuted for fraud, but this is a very good start. Lets see what happens at the NSF.
P.S.
NIH is National Institutes of Health. NSF is National Science Foundation.
If Cornflour hadn’t brought it up, I would have. The big universities, especially the big state universities, subsidize all their nonsense with overhead from research grants.
It’s a drop in the bucket as far as the Federal budget is concerned, but it’s like severing the femoral artery for universities.
Universities spend almost no money of their own on scientific research. The researcher who gets the grant pays for his equipment, any staff he needs, and that portion of his salary that represents time spent on research out of the grant. The university then takes the overhead from the grant and does not have to pay the researcher for his time spent on research. They can use that money to pay for Grievance Studies departments, administrators, etc, and hire academic staff to do the teaching, and they do.
Probably they’ll get some of it back by doing their accounting differently: they’ll recast some expenses as direct expenses. But it’s a step in the right direction, they have not been held accountable for what they do with this money.
Promotions at Brown University School of Medicine, hiring at the FAA, and the rage of the Prince-Electors.
A Swarm of Sinecures
https://chicagoboyz.net/archives/73140.html
Annihilate Hamas.
Here is an interesting DOGE post about the reduction in the overhead rate to 15%
https://x.com/DOGE/status/1888006119991509343
Apparently some universities had rates in the 60% range..
Overhead is used to pay for administrative costs, laboratory space, laboratory heating, AC, maintenance costs, etc. Not for equipment.
Typical university rates are 50% on-campus and 25% off-campus. Off-campus would be if most of the research is done elsewhere, such as a dig in Greece for an archaeologist, for example. Rates tend to be higher at high ranking universities such as MIT or Caltech.
National labs, such a Los Alamos, also charge overhead, which is usually higher.
And companies, such as Lockheed-Martin, even charge higher rates, sometimes over 100%.
I’m ba-ack – with another Peggy Noonan editorial. What can I say, if you don’t like her, don’t read it. But the woman can write and sometimes has interesting thoughts. I think this is one of her best.
https://archive.md/YjgVN
You won’t agree with all of it, but much of it is great.
About the President Trump’s young’uns getting inside the bureacracy’s OODA loop, for example at Treasury, EPA, USAID.
https://eko.substack.com/p/override?r=faen9
The same methods are probably being applied throughout the Federal agencies. A revolution in governance. But of course the left and the “webees,” civil servants whose motto is “we (will still) be here when you are gone (unelected)” still have their defenders in unelected true believers, federal (political) judges.
But it is a long battle, and even judges aren’t immortal, unlike government programs and agencies?
With the myriad of government programs. the trillions of dollars involved, and lax or even missing oversight, it’s easy to see how all sorts of activities could be concealed, have gone “rogue,” taken on a life of their own, and be completely outside of the ken of those in government who are supposed to monitor and control them.
These programs have escaped into the wild, have become autonomous, and collectively might even be said to form the elements of some sort of shadow government.
One example of this happening is apparently what has happened, developing over the course of the last 80 years, with UFO retrieval and reverse engineering programs, collectively referred to as the “Program” which, if successful, would give those in charge a commanding position, and unlimited power, money, and control.
With the temptation of such a commanding position in sight, and ignorance and confusion among those supposed to have oversight, it is easy to see how such a Program might go rogue.
If you want some facts about Musk and DOGE and what’s going on, highly recommend the first half hour of the All-In Podcast.
Jason and Antonio were working with/for Musk during the Twitter/X takeover and have interesting stories that relate to DOGE and the bureaucracy.
David Sacks joins them in his official capacity to talk about legislation on crypto and a few tidbits about what’s going on with USAID.
(0:00) The Besties intro Antonio Gracias!
(3:11) DOGE takes on USAID
(31:44) Sacks breaks in to talk USAID
(34:00) Sacks explains what he’s working on: Crypto/AI Frameworks
(46:41) The Democratic Party’s shrinking base
(52:33) US Sovereign Wealth Fund + Breaking DOGE/Tax News
(1:09:07) Google to spend $75B on AI buildout in 2025, future of work in the age of AI
(1:23:21) Science Corner: GLP-1 macro study
DOGE vs USAID, Crypto Framework, Google’s $75B AI Spend, US Sovereign Wealth Fund, GLP-1s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3q5TrwSek0
Overhead is used to pay for administrative costs, laboratory space, laboratory heating, AC, maintenance costs, etc. Not for equipment.
Typical university rates are 50% on-campus and 25% off-campus. — Asklepias
I was in that space, and the above sounds correct. While I had met some people researching in an “off-campus” capacity, I have no idea what their budgeting was like. Our campus was a federal gov. run campus, so it should be, and maybe was, a bit lower in overhead than other places.
One Federal judge discovers “standing” doesn’t just apply to voters and elections. Thus time regarding DOGE and dodgy lefty agencies and webees.
https://redstate.com/jenniferoo/2025/02/08/judge-slaps-back-afl-cio-challenge-to-doge-access-to-department-of-labor-records-n2185357
But another Federal judge in NYC goes along with Latisha James in her novel defense of the webees.
So the SCOTUS will have to settle it. Does the Chief Executive really have the authority in the Constitution after all?
There might be a better news source of the X tiff between VP JD Vance and Congressman Ro Khanna.
Vance wants to see Marko Elez brought back to DOGE. If he’s underperforming at this job, according to Vance, then fire him.
Mark Halperin, who is walking a tightrope, IMO, on his 2-Way podcast trying to appeal to both liberals and conservatives, walks back the charges about Eloz’s “racism” to “racially insensitive remarks”– which to Halperin’s credit is more accurate. Remember the old days when you could just be a bigot?
Anyway the exchange is about as direct as you could get without using dueling pistols.
“You Disgust Me”: JD Vance Slams Democrat Ro Khanna For “Emotional Blackmail” in Tiff Over Musk Aide
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV2QJt4P6zQ
P.S.S.–I’d imagine making it a lot easier for a government activity to escape the oversight and control of the government, to “go rogue,” are the various, elaborate, multi-layered classification/secrecy regimes used by our government, so that if you are not “read into” a classified program, you might not know it even exists.
Manage the very limited number of people who are “read into” a program and, over time, you can probably manage to make that program “drift” ever further from oversight, until it eventually escapes from such oversight,and no one knows that a program exists, or needs to be searched for.
See the “Wilson Memo.”
om
Maybe Musk or someone should offer and/or ask chief Roberts some/for some advice on how to expedite certain cases in what appears to be as close to a National Emergency as it gets.
Yes, there are Three Branches to keep separate, but that separation isn’t there for the Executive Branch when it is needed *NOW*.
Looks like SML Thune has one side of the Legislative Branch chugging along quite nicely—especially with President Trump’s Cabinet picks__13 confirmed and some saying it looks like all will be confirmed in record time (?).
Some Tweaking of the Judicial Branch is needed right now…
“Marko Eloz”, the name just reeks of white supremacy, lol. Probably a lot of Kleagles in his background, lol.
The days when you could point and shriek “racism” and expect to end a career are done.
And while Trump is digging hard to save HIS country, Starmer—no doubt rattled by Trump’s success, and having seen what just happened to “Biden”—is digging fast and furious to destroy his…
Indeed,INGSOC is now official:
“Apple Ordered To Provide UK Gov’t Access To All User Data On The Cloud”—
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/apple-ordered-provide-uk-govt-access-all-user-data-cloud
Key grafs:
The Post doesn’t seem to have noticed that the UK, since Starmer has made his policies known, can no longer be considered a democracy.
(Which is what would have happened to the US had Harris “won” in November. )
Two days of hysteria from Maxine Waters makes me wonder if her whole campaign is funded by laundering tax money.
Re UK and Apple, way to not read the room. Think Trump will allow this?
ChatGPT vs DeepSeek, the GOP’s racial issues, and the current Marko Eloz issue…
ChatGPT – are the days when you could point and shriek “racism” and expect to end a career gone?
Yes, Marko Eloz
DeepSeek – are the days when you could point and shriek “racism” and expect to end a career gone?
DeepSeek – Have you heard of Marko Eloz?
Thanks AI’s!
Om – take the EKO substack with a grain of salt since there are no links to back up what he is saying.
Check out these threads which provide a good picture of what is happening with DOGE and USAID.
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1887038863849472090.html
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1887406568355856844.html
Liz:
EKO may say things that aren’t yet sourced but what are the Democrats and left “webees” doing?
Seems to be a bit of rough water in the civil servant and NGO ocean.
USAID is jut one fish in the fetid, foul pond of special pleaders.
Amidst all the hype-la…WRT to Elon Musk…
“Now We Know Who was Running the Country for Joe Biden”—
https://pjmedia.com/matt-margolis/2025/02/08/now-we-know-who-was-running-the-country-for-joe-biden-n4936803
Pretty hilarious!
BUT one COULD always say that at least a Biden was running things(!)…
Hey, maybe if Musk changes his name to “Trump”…the Democrats might calm down?
(Jes’ kiddin’…)
Revenge is best served cold:
https://hotair.com/ed-morrissey/2025/02/07/the-dirty-secret-of-doge-dems-built-it-n3799582
Also known as “Karma is a *itch.”
Ward Carroll brings a short update about a US air strike on an ISIS commander in Somalia, with the knowledge and approval of the “official” Somali government.
Interesting now, since Somalia is one of the countries floated as a potential resettlement area for Gazans.
Trump’s First Airstrike Wipes Out ISIS Mastermind in Somalia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVP6KbY3fI8
To recap:
Make America Gasp Again…at the breathtaking international as well as local scope of Democratic Party crime and corruption:
“USAID Funded Massive ‘News’ Platform, Extending ‘Censorship Industrial Complex’ To Billions Worldwide”—
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/usaid-funded-massive-global-state-propaganda-news-matrix-nearly-billion-people-reach
“Overhead is used to pay for administrative costs, laboratory space, laboratory heating, AC, maintenance costs, etc.”
Or so the school claims. I remember quite well when the prez of the small undergrad college I worked discovered “overhead” costs that came with science grants when a chem guy got a substantial NSF grant. She thought she’d found the end of the rainbow. All of a sudden all science faculty had to apply for research grants, even though we had no grad programs and the research was tailored so undergrads could do it. The college charged 50% and I guarantee none of that money went to paying electric bills etc.
Speaking of Karma being a Beeytch – humble me was bragging not long ago about not getting much spam. Like a couple of spam emails in my spam folder every other day. Ever since that brag – the spam folder has been getting 3-8 spams a couple times a day. Just got 12 after already gotten a bunch today!?
@physicsguy:I guarantee none of that money went to paying electric bills etc.
Money is fungible, so doesn’t matter. Because they got X + Y to spend instead of X they can put Y into whatever they want, doesn’t matter what the Y was specifically intended for.
I would see a lot of ridiculous decisions made because of how university budgets worked. Signature move was to get funding to build something, then stick the legislature with the bills for upkeep and maintenance, instead of forgoing the building of the thing and staying within what they should have been spending.