The Prebys Foundation announced this week an emergency response package totaling $7 million to seven leading research institutions in San Diego — a global hub and leader in biomedical science and innovation.
The funding is intended to help address the current crisis adversely affecting research institutions and universities across the nation, which have experienced broad and deep cuts in federal funding and support of science.
“San Diego’s biomedical research institutions aren’t just world-class in reputation — they deliver real impact by tackling urgent problems and advancing the treatments and cures the world needs,” said Grant Oliphant, CEO of the Prebys Foundation.
“While we can’t match the scale of federal investment, we can respond with urgency to help prevent the loss of extraordinary talent and critical momentum. This is a defining moment, and philanthropy must rise to meet it.”
Receiving $1 million grants are:
- Sanford Burnham Prebys
- La Jolla Institute for Immunology
- Rady Children’s Hospital Foundation
- Salk Institute for Biological Studies
- San Diego State University
- Scripps Research
- University of California San Diego
In recent months, a series of executive orders and actions by the Trump Administration and federal agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health, have directly and dramatically impaired scientific work and progress across the nation, including drastically reducing indirect cost reimbursements that fundamentally sustain research institutions, cancelling promising therapeutic technology projects and ending efforts to broaden participation and diversity in science.
As a result, many research institutions and universities have necessarily responded with staff and faculty layoffs, the shuttering of programs and labs and reductions in new admissions to graduate and medical schools. Private industry and foreign countries have begun recruiting academic scientists with offers of greater support and resources.
The Prebys Foundation grants are intended to provide general operating support aimed at retaining early and mid-career scientists at risk of being lost to the field, as well as supporting key research programs.
At Sanford Burnham Prebys, the funds will be used to support researchers in the institute’s four disease-focused centers: cancer, cardiovascular and muscular, neurologic and metabolic and liver.
“These grants provide critical and much-needed aid in very uncertain times,” said David Brenner, MD, president and CEO of Sanford Burnham Prebys. “As scientists and physicians, we cannot meet the current challenges alone. We need the foresight and generosity of philanthropic organizations like the Prebys Foundation.”
Read more about protecting the future of biomedical research here.
About Sanford Burnham Prebys
Sanford Burnham Prebys is an independent biomedical research institute dedicated to understanding human biology and disease and advancing scientific discoveries to profoundly impact human health. For nearly 50 years, our research has produced breakthroughs in cancer, neuroscience, cardiovascular, metabolic and children’s diseases, and is anchored by our NCI-designated cancer center and advanced drug discovery capabilities.
About Prebys Foundation
The Prebys Foundation — pronounced Preh-Biss — is a charitable foundation based in San Diego County. We are dedicated to advancing a vibrant, equitable, and resilient future for all San Diegans by investing in four key areas: health and well-being, medical research, arts and culture, and youth success.