FASEB Highlights Risks Associated with NIH Approach to Limit Allowable Publishing Costs

By: Yvette Seger
Thursday, September 25, 2025
In its response to a Request for Information (RFI) issued by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) seeking input on five options for limiting publishing costs charged to research grants, FASEB highlighted the ways in which the proposed strategies would nullify the agency’s efforts towards fostering Gold Standard Science. In addition to the risks associated with slowing the communication of research findings to health care professionals and patients, FASEB noted the impact of an additional, rapidly implemented policy change on early-career researchers. Although FASEB’s comments provided details regarding how each of the five options was not feasible, they expressed staunch opposition, disallowing the use of any grant funds for publications.

While opposing the options proposed in the RFI, FASEB did provide feedback to help NIH address the underlying goal of ensuring communication of high-quality research findings. Suggestions included collaborating with the research community to establish guidelines for determining appropriate journals for publishing study findings and convening a Blue Ribbon panel to define journal attributes and related policies that would meet the administration’s goals of decreasing publication costs while maintaining Gold Standard Science.