3/11/26: Universities survived Trump’s 2025 funding freeze, but the money still isn’t flowing to researchers (The Conversation) Several prominent universities, including Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania , made headlines in 2025 in a dizzying back-and-forth with the federal government. The Trump administration cut large amounts of research funding to universities. Some pushed back, and others hatched settlements to get the money restored. So how have these confrontations between higher education and the White House played out over the past year, now that they have dropped out of the spotlight? https://theconversation.com/universities-survived-trumps-2025-funding-freeze-but-the-money-still-isnt-flowing-to-researchers-277716
3/11/26: China pledges billion-dollar spending boost for science (Nature) Funding for national laboratories and important research projects would increase under the government’s plans. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00770-y
3/10/26: United for Medical Research (UMR) today released the 2026 update of its annual analysis of the economic impact of National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding. The $36.58 billion awarded to researchers in the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia in FY2025 supported 390,863 jobs and generated $94.15 billion in new economic activity nationwide – producing $2.57 for every $1 invested. https://www.unitedformedicalresearch.org/annual-economic-report/
3/11/26: Behind ideological attacks on higher ed, surprising bipartisan reforms are happening (The Hechinger Report) https://hechingerreport.org/behind-ideological-attacks-on-higher-ed-surprising-bipartisan-reforms-are-happening/
3/10/26: Trump’s Assault on Higher Education Has Hit a Snag (The Atlantic) …the aggressive pace that won the administration so many early victories eventually proved to be its great weakness. The government could move so quickly only by skipping almost all of the procedural steps required by federal law. Once universities and their allies recovered from their shock and challenged the Trump administration, they were able to block many, if not most, of the White House’s moves in court. Trump has certainly left his mark on America’s universities. But he has not broken them. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/03/trump-universities-lawsuits/686319/
3/10/26: How data can help to guide NIH funding policy (Nature) The US National Institutes of Health has troves of information on grant applications. Analyzing it can assist with decision-making on issues such as equity. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00704-8
3/10/26: ‘A philosophical attack on the nature of science’: Two grande dames of US science policy speak out (Chemistry World) A session at the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s (AAAS) recent annual meeting in Phoenix, Arizona celebrated the 50th anniversary of the organisation’s R&D Budget and Policy Program . Norine Noonan and Susan Coady Kemnitzer, who have now retired and previously held senior leadership positions at science agencies and the White House, had a lot to say about the situation facing universities and research funders in the US. Rebecca Trager caught up with them. https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/a-philosophical-attack-on-the-nature-of-science/4023062.article
3/10/26: Keep calm and be transparent: advice from scientists who retracted their papers (Nature) Retractions correct the scientific record, but they have stigma attached to them. Some in the research community want that to change. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-00763-x
