A Message from the President

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A Message from the President

• May 6, 2025

Last Friday, the White House announced a proposal to slash the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget by 40% and the National Science Foundation (NSF) budget by 50%. These unprecedented cuts would severely imperil our country's ability to lead in biomedical research and innovation.

For an institution like MDI Biological Laboratory, which relies on these agencies for critical research support, the stakes could not be higher.

As President of MDI Bio Lab, I recently had the honor of testifying before the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee at the request of Senator Susan Collins, a long-time advocate for biomedical research and a champion of NIH and NSF programs that directly impact Maine.

The hearing was convened to underscore the vital importance of sustaining America's global leadership in biomedical innovation. We were proud to participate because our mission is at the heart of that national conversation.

Our scientists study extraordinary animals like zebrafish and axolotl (Mexican salamander) that regenerate damaged tissues and limbs in order to discover new therapies for diseases such as Alzheimer's, glaucoma, diabetes, and kidney disease-conditions that are not only scientifically complex but also deeply personal for so many Mainers and Americans.

At the same time, we are investing in the future by training the next generation of biomedical scientists and entrepreneurs by leading a network of 17 Maine institutions that has recruited and retained more than 50 scientists across the state and provided real-world scientific training to 3,000 college students.

These proposed budget cuts threaten both the research and training elements of our mission.

They would not only disrupt active research but also endanger our ability to recruit and retain leading scientists, dampen the aspirations of promising young people, jeopardize the development of cutting-edge therapies, and force reductions in our programs and personnel.

I am sad to say that we are already hearing from students who are reconsidering their futures in science and medicine. We cannot allow short-term budget decisions to cause long-term damage to an entire generation of innovators.

At a time when biomedical science is advancing faster than ever before, we risk losing the momentum and human capital we have worked so hard to build. And while larger institutions may have buffers-tuition revenue, sizable endowments-we do not. We already operate leanly. For us, federal funding is not a luxury; it's a lifeline.

The consequences of these cuts would ripple far beyond the lab bench. They would directly impact the development and accessibility of future treatments for chronic diseases, many of which are already on the cusp of clinical application thanks to publicly funded research.

And they would hinder one of Maine's and the nation's fastest-growing economic sectors: the life sciences. Biomedical research isn't just about health-it's about high-quality, high-paying jobs and long-term economic vitality in rural states like ours.

As a recent economic analysis demonstrated, the entire country should be concerned - not just because of setbacks in research and discovery, or in the development of lifesaving medicines, but because these reductions represent a setback for the entire U.S. economy.

Just a 25% reduction in public research and development spending, the study found, would reduce the nation's gross domestic product by 3.8% - a pullback similar to that seen in the 2009 recession. The White House is proposing a 40% reduction in the NIH's budget.

I am confident that the vast majority of Americans, our friends and neighbors, see perfectly well how short-sighted this policy is, and will not stand for it. The real question is: what can we do about it?

The answer is: Advocate for science. Support our mission. Invest in our future.

Now is a moment to let your voice be heard. Contact your elected officials. Write letters to the editor. Engage with us on social media. Have conversations with your friends and neighbors. Do whatever you can to share your concerns about the impact these proposed cuts will have on our health, our economy and our nation's future.

Your support of our mission has never been more important. With your help, we can continue our research, train tomorrow's scientific leaders, and maintain Maine's place on the national scientific stage-even in uncertain times.

Invest in our future. Philanthropy has long played a vital role in bridging the gap, and in fact, nearly 50% of our operating budget today comes from private donations. But in the face of these federal challenges, we must now rely on donor support in an unprecedented way.

Without it, we face the very real possibility of downsizing research programs, limiting student training opportunities, and losing some of the most promising minds in science to better-funded institutions abroad.

We need your voice. We need your partnership. And we need your belief in what science, and MDI Biological Laboratory, can achieve.

With gratitude,

Hermann Haller, M.D.
President, MDI Biological Laboratory