JAG Associations Statement on the FAIR Model

The following is a joint statement from the Joint Associations Group (JAG) on Indirect Costs, representing research institutions from every state in the nation.

Contact:
Kellee Edmonds
(202) 478-4662

WASHINGTON, September 5, 2025 - As leaders of the Joint Associations Group (JAG) on Indirect Costs - which represents research institutions from every state in the nation, large and small, public and private - we urge policy makers to embrace and codify the Financial Accountability in Research (FAIR) model. We strongly believe this model, developed by subject-matter experts from across the research community, offers a transparent and publicly accountable means of research support that is responsive to lawmakers' concerns about past models.

Competitively awarded federally funded research - conducted by scientists, engineers, and scholars at research universities and institutions - is the engine that has long driven American innovation and prosperity. Discoveries funded by taxpayers' investments in research improve our lives, bolster our nation's security and economic progress, and generate cures to combat disease.

The scientific and economic dominance of the United States is, in part, because federal policy has long recognized that high-quality research requires support not just for people and lab supplies, but also for the scientific facilities, infrastructure, and services that help ensure research is conducted safely, securely, ethically, and in accordance with federal and state laws and regulations. The U.S. research enterprise is the envy of the world, and even as our global competitors strive to emulate it, we have an opportunity to continue to improve our methods for supporting research that advances the best ideas and opportunities for technological innovations.

The FAIR model is a straightforward and transparent approach to accounting for the full costs of research. The FAIR model adopts elements of the private foundation funding model and industry charging structures that make costs more visible and explicit through new trackable and auditable costing categories. This affords researchers, institutions, the government, and taxpayers the opportunity to better see and understand the drivers of research costs.

Greater accuracy, transparency, and accountability are essential for ensuring public confidence in federal research investments. The FAIR model announced by the JAG on July 11 makes these improvements without undermining support for essential research costs.

Our organizations stand ready to work with the federal government to make the changes necessary to sustain American science and innovation leadership.

• Association of American Universities (AAU)
• Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU)
• Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
• American Council on Education (ACE)
• Association of Independent Research Institutes (AIRI)
• Council on Governmental Relations (COGR)
• National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU)
• American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU)
• National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO)