The National Institutes of Health reached a settlement with 16 states that commits the agency to resume its normal scientific review process and decide on thousands of previously delayed grant applications. Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell and state plaintiffs secured a timetable requiring decisions on sets of applications by Jan. 12, April 14 and July 31; more than 5,000 grants are covered. The agreement reverses a February directive that redirected resources away from topics including diversity, equity and inclusion and other politically sensitive areas, and it stops short of any admission of liability by the administration. Universities and research offices should expect a wave of funding determinations in coming months and to rework budgets and hiring plans based on those outcomes. Observers warn the delays have already pushed some researchers to consider offers abroad; institutions in Europe, Canada and China have stepped up recruitment amid U.S. grant uncertainty. Tabbye Chavous of the American Educational Research Association and others say the risk of a talent outflow could damage America’s innovation pipeline if federal support remains unpredictable.