The National Institutes of Health agreed to review hundreds of grant applications that had been paused under new diversity‑related directives after a legal challenge. Under the court‑overseen agreement, NIH will reassess each application on scientific merit without applying the contested directives, though the agency did not admit wrongdoing or promise funding. Plaintiffs in the case include scientific organizations and individual investigators; one researcher, Nikki Maphis, said she expects a fair evaluation. The decision restores a pathway for diverse research programs — from Alzheimer’s studies to minority‑health projects — to have their science reviewed in the normal peer‑review process while litigation continues.