Ghent HIV Center Faces €1.3M NIH Funding Cut, Threatening Research

Ghent (Eurotoday) – Ghent University Hospital’s HIV research centre is facing the potential loss of over €1.3 million in funding from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) due to concerns over financial reporting, placing vital HIV research and associated jobs at serious risk. Professors Linos and Frank Vandekerckhove are calling for urgent intervention.

According to a report by VRT News, Ghent University Hospital’s HIV centre is engaged in groundbreaking work to cure HIV and develop more effective treatments. The team is currently managing four major projects aimed at advancing global HIV care. However, these efforts are now under threat after the NIH suspended funding exceeding €1.3 million due to irregularities in subsidy reporting.

The NIH has temporarily halted funding while it reviews and rectifies the procedures concerning financial disclosures. This decision has raised concerns about delays in the development of new treatments and cures, creating uncertainty for the future of international HIV research.

Will the €1.3M NIH funding cut halt HIV research in Ghent?

Professor Linos Vandekerckhove, head of the HIV research centre, highlighted the difficult position their American counterparts now face. U.S. teams are permitted to continue working independently of their European partners and retain their funding. However, if they determine the research cannot proceed effectively without international collaboration, the NIH may pull the funding entirely.

He noted that this presents major challenges for global research partnerships like the one at Ghent. Without the NIH funding, critical HIV research could be delayed or discontinued—hindering worldwide efforts to combat the virus. The centre now faces a dilemma, as the funding shortfall endangers both scientific progress and staff employment.

“The suspension of funding is happening without even looking at the progress and results of the scientific research. The plug has simply been pulled,”

Professor Frank Vandekerckhove also expressed concern over the potential disruption to a major research initiative in Ghent that monitors treatment responses in HIV patients through blood sample analysis. Should the funding be withdrawn, this crucial work would come to a halt.

He warned that the loss of funding may force the centre to lay off staff, deeply affecting ongoing research. Without support from the government or Ghent University, these job cuts could become unavoidable. Vandekerckhove has urged university leadership to collaborate with the Flemish Interuniversity Council to find a sustainable solution that protects both scientific research and employment.

“Finding new funding takes time, and putting a study ‘On hold’ where you follow up patients is not something that can be done easily.”

Frank Bosmans, professor of neuroscience at the VUB

The implications of the NIH’s suspension of funding reach beyond Ghent’s HIV research. Similar concerns have been voiced for neurological and clinical studies at institutions such as KU Leuven and Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). Professor Frank Bosmans of VUB cautioned that delays or interruptions to ongoing studies—especially those involving patients—can have long-term negative effects, as replacing funding is often a slow and complex process.