Mounting pressures on U.S. science funding and universities

With so much happening in US Federal Science Agencies, we want to ensure you hadn’t missed a selection of key developments last month:

• The Department of Energy announced  it will join the NIH in attempting to cap indirect cost rates at 15% to “halt inefficient spending” by universities. Recall that the NIH’s effort has been blocked  by a federal judge, and DOE’s was similarly blocked.

• The Administration is continuing its efforts to cancel federal grants, targeting specific universities including Columbia, Cornell, Northwestern, and others. Harvard University is challenging these cuts and the associated demands the Administration is making on universities.

• NIH and other federal agencies are limiting access to scientific information for scientists working in China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela. The Justice Department issued an FAQ on these restrictions.

• The National Science Foundation announced  that it is terminating grants related to diversity, equity, and inclusion or combating misinformation. This follows on similar reviews and cancelations of grant programs across the government.

• Federal agencies continue to eliminate “advisory committees” pursuant to a Feb. 19 Executive Order on reducing the Federal bureaucracy.