Federal data mining project seeks to identify causes of autism

By HPN Staff

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has received more than 100 research proposals for a $50 million data mining project aimed at uncovering potential causes of autism, according to a Reuters exclusive.

The Autism Data Science Initiative (ADSI), launched in May by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and led by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is designed to mine existing data to identify potential causes of autism and assess treatment outcomes. Officials said as many as 25 grant recipients will be announced later this month. The $50 million represents more than 10% of NIH’s annual budget for autism research.

Why it matters

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurological condition that begins in early childhood and impacts a person’s social interactions and communication.

Data from a 2022 report by the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network showed that the prevalence of the disorder was almost five times higher than when first surveyed in 2000. The HHS called the escalation “alarming” and that it exposed “a series of public health crises.”

In the spring, Kennedy pledged to identify the cause of autism by September, promising that the administration will eliminate the exposures he believes are responsible.

Autism researchers and advocacy groups warn the project’s structure risks undermining scientific standards. Members of the Coalition of Autism Scientists, an advocacy group composed of the U.S.’s leading autism researchers, said the framework “evades” best practices and questioned NIH’s heavy role in selecting proposals. They argue that it weakens the independence of the peer-review process. Members of the coalition also criticized the short window between the project’s announcement and the application deadline, saying it made it nearly impossible to prepare large-scale, substantive proposals.

Funding trends have fueled more concerns. Reuters reported that, in the first four months of 2025, NIH funding for autism research decreased by $31 million compared to the same period in 2024. Cuts affected institutions, training programs for underrepresented minorities and grants focused on women or diversity.

The big picture 

Experts say Kennedy’s remarks dismiss decades of high-quality research. The pledge coincides with Kennedy’s separate review of vaccine safety and autism, a link debunked by several large studies. A contract for the project was recently awarded to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute without a competitive bid, an unusual step for the CDC, according to reports.

The initiative also lands against the backdrop of sweeping cuts to NIH research funding announced earlier this summer by the Trump administration, including reductions for autism projects. A major health policy announcement is expected by the end of the month, in line with Kennedy’s pledge to identify the cause of autism by September. Officials say it will significantly alter the government’s approach to autism research and care.