Cuts and Delays
How CMU’s grants are being handled by the Trump Administration
A beaker is having money poured into it, only to have it dissolve as the funding decreases for the science programs. Design by Paige Jaczkowski.
According to university officials, CMU has roughly 200 grants, of which 135 are from the federal government. These grants help fund research and academic projects across campus. However, cuts in federal funding from the Trump Administration and the ongoing government shutdown have caused some hiccups in the university’s grant system.
“Slowdowns in funding might most heavily impact the College of Science and Engineering and the College of Medicine in the short-term; however, long-term slowdowns could affect research, creative activity and scholarly work university-wide,” Ari Harris, a spokesperson for CMU, said in an email.
CMU Interim Vice President of Research and Innovation, Bradley Swanson, helps academic departments apply for grants for various projects. He said that grant writing for research is planned out nearly a year in advance by faculty and that almost 85% of proposals are rejected.
“Federal grants take a long time,” he said. “Nine months is not unusual from when you submit (a proposal and) when you actually hear about it.”
With the government’s current shutdown, Swanson said it is difficult for faculty members to plan out projects and apply for funding.
“The shutdown is delaying their review of these proposals,” he said. “It’s just going to add more time before they will hear back on whether they were successful or not.”
Another effect of the federal government on the grant system at CMU is the cancellation of funding for already approved grants. Swanson said there are four that have been terminated:
ADVANCE
According to the National Science Foundation, ADVANCE’s goal was to “broaden the implementation of evidence-based systemic change strategies that promote equity for STEM faculty in academic workplaces and the academic profession.” It was terminated by the National Science Foundation.
MICHIGAN’S INCLUSIVE TRAINING, TECHNOLOGY, AND EQUITY NETWORK (MITTEN)
As part of Michigan High-Speed Internet Office’s effort to expand access to broadband internet in rural Michigan, this grant aimed to educate rural citizens on digital literacy and support “the needs of covered populations for workforce development, health, civic engagement and education,” according to Swanson. It was terminated by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services/U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology - wastewater evaluation and reporting (SEWER) network
Funded research efforts on detecting diseases such as COVID-19, influenza, RSV and norovirus through sampling wastewater. It was terminated by the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity/ U.S. Department of Commerce.
Diversity Supplement
Aimed to increase a parent grant’s overall impact while also “advancing the training and career development” of the recipient. It was terminated by the National Institutes of Health / U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
These terminations are not unique to CMU. Universities across the country have some level of uncertainty regarding grant funding.
Swanson said that research in higher education has allowed the United States to excel in modern science and technology.
“This basic science that we do is the foundation of so much of the advantage that America has had in technology and industry,” he said. “It’s incredibly important that the U.S. maintain the level of research expenditures that we have been, if we want to remain the country where people want to come and do their graduate work.”
