6/23/25: More Americans Trust Public Universities Than Private Ones (Inside Higher Ed) While nearly half of respondents (46 percent) indicated they have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in public institutions, only 30 percent reported the same for private institutions. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2025/06/23/more-americans-trust-public-universities-private-ones /
6/23/25: Will Gates and other funders save massive public health database at risk from Trump cuts? (Nature) UN in talks with governments and funding bodies to save highly-cited, 40-year health data set used by researchers in more than 90 countries. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01945-9
6/20/25: Notice: Gain of Function Research Reporting for USDA (NIFA) The purpose of this notice is to inform the agricultural research community of the following actions USDA is taking in response to the May 5, 2025 Executive Order (E.O.) 14292 on Improving the Safety and Security of Biological Research. https://www.nifa.usda.gov/about-nifa/announcements/notice-gain-function-research-reporting-usda
6/20/25: Universities Win Order Voiding Agency’s 15% Research Cost Cap (Bloomberg Law) Judge Indira Talwani struck down the cap on Friday, finding it “arbitrary, capricious and contrary to the law,” granting summary judgment to the suing schools plus the Association of American Universities, and denying that relief to the government… The ruling is the third successful university challenge this year to federal agencies slashing research funding, following court victories against the National Institutes of Health and Department of Energy. A fourth case against the Department of Defense is pending. https://news.bloomberglaw.com/pharma-and-life-sciences/universities-win-order-voiding-agencys-15-research-cost-cap?context=search&index=8
See also: US judge blocks Defense Department from slashing federal research funding (Reuters) https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-judge-blocks-defense-department-slashing-federal-research-funding-2025-06-17/
6/20/25: What RFK Jr. Got Right About Academic Publishing (The Chronicle, Opinion) Although Kennedy has no experience with academic publishing, his comments echoed concerns voiced by the former New England Journal of Medicine editors Marcia Angell and Jerome Kassirer . Richard Horton , editor in chief of The Lancet, went further, calling the pharma-journal relationship “parasitic.” It was in that context that Kennedy floated — almost offhandedly — the idea of the government starting its own journals. https://www.chronicle.com/article/what-rfk-jr-got-right-about-academic-publishing
6/20/25: DOE Secretary Defends Cuts to National Labs while Suggesting Future Boost (AIP) Energy Secretary Chris Wright defended the Trump administration’s proposed cuts to the national lab system in a hearing Wednesday, but also said he was “very open” to expanding the budget for the national labs from the current request. Senators from both parties on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee expressed concern about the administration’s plan to cut Department of Energy programs. https://www.aip.org/fyi/doe-secretary-defends-cuts-to-national-labs-while-suggesting-future-boost
See also: Energy secretary signals reversal of some cuts to national labs (FedScoop) https://fedscoop.com/energy-secretary-signals-reversal-of-some-cuts-to-national-labs/
6/20/25: Judge Grants Harvard Injunction in International Student Case (Inside Higher Ed) The injunction prevents the Department of Homeland Security from stripping Harvard of its Student Exchange and Visitor Program certification until Burroughs issues a final ruling in the lawsuit. It does not address President Donald Trump’s executive proclamation from earlier this month banning the State Department from issuing visas to international students and researchers attending Harvard; a temporary restriction on that ban expired June 20. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2025/06/20/judge-says-harvard-can-enroll-international-students-now
6/18/25: How Universities Would Overhaul Research Funding (Inside Higher Ed, COGR Quoted): “No one would choose to work at this rapid pace and rethink how to effectively, fairly and transparently cover these real and unavoidable costs,” said Matt Owens, president of the Council of Government Relations, at last week’s webinar. “But we are where we are, and it’s vital that we meet this moment so that we can emerge with an improved and sustainable indirect cost policy that will enable our country to continue leading the world in research and innovation.” https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/science-research-policy/2025/06/18/university-leaders-weigh-changes-research
See also: Higher Ed Groups Propose New Indirect Cost Models (AIP, COGR Mention) https://www.aip.org/fyi/higher-ed-groups-propose-new-indirect-cost-models
6/18/25: Implementation Update: Terminating or Suspending Dangerous Gain-of-Function Research in Accordance with the Executive Order on Improving the Safety and Security of Biological Research (NIH NOT-OD-25-127): https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-25-127.html
6/17/25: SST Committee Leaders Request GAO Review of Indirect Costs for Federal Research Awards (House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Press Release) https://science.house.gov/press-releases?ID=6D66F7C9-C87A-4EA7-8B02-F1995A8EC5E3
6/17/25: Research Grants Increasingly Require Compliance With Trump’s Orders. Here’s How Colleges Are Responding. (The Chronicle) “There’s a bit of a whiplash that all institutions are feeling, not knowing what are the current rules, what’s accurate, what’s not accurate.” https://www.chronicle.com/article/research-grants-increasingly-require-compliance-with-trumps-orders-heres-how-colleges-are-responding
6/16/25: Judge deems Trump’s National Institutes of Health grant cuts illegal (Reuters) A federal judge in Boston on Monday said the termination of National Institutes of Health grants for research on diversity-related topics by President Donald Trump ‘s administration was “void and illegal,” and accused the government of discriminating against racial minorities and LGBT people. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/federal-judge-says-trump-cuts-nih-grants-are-illegal-politico-reports-2025-06-16/
6/16/25: Private equity firm will finance Harvard research lab, in possible template for future (STAT) As Harvard grapples with severe financing cuts undertaken by the Trump administration, some university officials believe the unusual arrangement could be at least one model to fund other academic research in the future. https://www.statnews.com/2025/06/16/harvard-lab-to-be-financed-by-39-million-from-private-equity-firm-from-turkey/
6/13/25: Congress shows first signs of resisting Trump’s plans to slash science budgets (Science) The Republican-controlled Congress this week offered the first signs that it will resist at least some of President Donald Trump’s proposals to slash federal spending on science. A key committee in the House of Representatives rejected the administration’s plan to make deep cuts to research programs at the U.S. nt of Agriculture (USDA), and the leader of the Senate’s appropriations panel called plans for a 40% cut to the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH’s) $47 billion budget “disturbing.” Members of another Senate committee also signaled bipartisan opposition to cuts at the U.S. Forest Service. https://www.science.org/content/article/congress-shows-first-signs-resisting-trump-s-plans-slash-science-budgets
