Between January 20 and April 28, 2025, 63 contract staff were fired from the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The staff cuts are a result of a mandate from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) for NIH to cut contract spending across the agency by 35%, or about $2.6 billion.
Prior to the terminations, VRC employed about 200 contractors as scientific staff, along with about 100 federal employees, and a smaller number of research fellows and graduate trainees. The center performs critical research on vaccines and other immune therapies, including treatments for Ebola and the development of the Moderna mRNA Covid-19 vaccine. According to the VRC website, six trials are underway, including a flu vaccine and an HIV antibody treatment.