N.Y., decried the cuts as illegal and rooted in a willful misunderstanding of how medical research is conducted at universities, hospitals, cancer centers and other institutions.

As President Donald Trump tries to reduce overhead costs in federal grants, research institutions are trying to explain that overhead is much lower than it seems — and why it’s crucial to cutting-edge research.

University of Minnesota researchers and state lawmakers denounced Wednesday what they say are detrimental cuts to research facilities receiving National Institutes of Health funding announced last week by the Trump administration.