More layoffs expected at RTI International as it grapples with federal cuts

RTI International is expected to cut dozens more jobs in the Triangle — the latest local reduction by the Research Triangle Park-based research organization, which is grappling with federal funding cuts.

The organization said it is cutting another 170 U.S.-based staff members, including 76 positions in the Triangle as it undergoes “a workforce realignment in response to funding shifts and new client priorities.”

The cuts come months after the organization said it would eliminate at least 525 jobs in North Carolina by May 1. RTI’s overall workforce has been reduced by about 35% this year.

The nonprofit organization has been slashing staff as it adjusts to the Trump administration's cuts to federal research grants. More than 80 of RTI’s projects have been canceled and others have been ordered stopped — a scenario that had slashed the organization’s operating revenue by almost 30%, the company said in a March letter to state Department of Commerce officials that disclosed plans for hundreds of cuts. At the time, the company left open the possibility of additional layoffs.

“While we must streamline our operations in response to market realities and position the institute for future growth, we remain dedicated to our people, who are what makes RTI great,” Tim Gabel, RTI’s chief executive, said in a statement Wednesday.

The organization created an employee emergency relief fund to assist eligible former RTI staff members, offering them grants of up to $10,000. RTI started the fund with $1 million and plans to match up to $1 million more in internal contributions, RTI said.