undefined | Better HN

0 pointsknappa7mo ago0 comments

> Institutional administrators confiscate 50, 60, 70% of every research grant.

Not even the Trump admin is alleging levels of indirect costs that high. See e.g.

https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-25-0...

"Yet the average indirect cost rate reported by NIH has averaged between 27% and 28% over time."

and a lot of that is simply because nobody wants to do the detailed accounting for things like: lab electricity usage, janitorial services, misc supplies.

> The result? 90%+ of academic science is fraud.

This is dramatic nonsense; a simple made up number.

0 comments

elevation7mo ago

> Not even the Trump admin is alleging levels of indirect costs that high.

The 70% "indirect cost" number had latched into my brain. I was willing to concede this point, but it looks like 50, 60, 70% are accurate as of 2025 [0].

While there exist institutions with only 30% indirect cost, every single not-especially-prestigious university in my region are retaining 60% or more.

[0] https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R48540

> As of May 2025, indirect cost reimbursements for [institutions of higher education (IHE)] are typically determined by an indirect cost rate that is pre-negotiated with the federal government and varies by IHE—ranging from 30% to 70%.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse