Research about how pollution regulations affect people's health is relevant to policymakers, but the US National Institutes of Health is shifting away from funding such work.Credit: Brandon Bell/Getty The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has begun turning away research grant applications for which the 'primary function' is informing policymakers and legislators, according to internal documents seen by Nature. This means that the agency is likely to fund fewer projects assessing how public policies affect human health. It's a major departure for the world's largest public funder of biomedical research. The NIH has a strong reputation for funding projects relevant to policymakers, including those evaluating the health impacts of firearm regulations, abortion limits and environmental protections. 'Policymakers are not considered a stakeholder group within the scope of NIH's mission,' the internal documents say. 'NIH-funded research must empower decision-making by NIH...
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