Government Investment in Research

ARCS Foundation Statement on Announced Reduction in Federal Funding for Research

On Feb. 12, 2025, ARCS Foundation, Inc., issues a statement that reads in part:
We believe reduction of reimbursement of key costs may put the important research of our PhD scholars at risk. More broadly, we are deeply concerned that these cuts will impact critical US scientific progress, drastically reduce the scientific competitiveness of the United States, and harm a long-standing partnership between academic institutions and the federal government. Read the complete statement

"We are concerned for our scholars at this unsettling time," ARCS Foundation President Beth Wainwright stressed. "We urge scholars who face difficulties due to Federal executive orders or funding reductions to contact their sponsoring chapters or email national@arcsfoundation.org." In response to inquiries from members wishing to express opinions, she recommends that they share their concerns as individuals with their Senators and Representatives.

ARCS Partners Join Call Opposing ‘Undue Government Intrusion’

Nine ARCS partner universities are among the 150 signatories on "A Call for Constructive Engagement," an open letter that opposes "unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education." The presidents of Carnegie Mellon, Northwestern, and San Francisco State Universities; the Universities of Hawai‘i, Maryland, San Diego, Virginia, and Washington; and Pomona College signed the letter, along with the leaders of the Association of American Universities, American Association of Colleges and Universities, Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

The April 22 letter notes that U.S. institutions of higher education promote opportunity and mobility, contribute to economic and cultural vitality, foster creativity and innovation, employ and train workers, ensure America’s leadership in research, and prepare an educated citizenry to sustain our democracy. Read the full letter

Free Webinars—Trump and Higher Ed: Understanding the Latest

The Chronicle of Higher Education examines major challenges that colleges face as the Trump administration tries to transform higher education. Sessions are scheduled April 24, and May 8. REGISTER to attend live at 1 p.m. EDT/10 a.m. PDT or receive the link for viewing later.

If Your Federal Grant is Terminated…

The Transmittor, a newsletter resource for the neuroscience community offers advice for reserachers whose federal grants are terminated in Five things to know if your federal grant is terminated.

Understanding Research Overhead

Facilities and administrative (F&A) costs include a range of indirect expenses not directly covered by research grants—from janitorial and support staff, to utilities and computing, to workplace safety compliance and service contracts for high-end research equipment.

costs of research slide from video

Watch the video or read a factsheet describing what F&A reimbursements (also known as indirect costs or overhead) are, how they are determined, and why they are important.

COGR logo"Investing in science is investing in our future—it’s good for people’s health, for our quality of life, and for the economy," states the Council on Government Relations. Reducing F&A reimbursements would have a disasterous impact on research institutions' ability to foster technologial innovation, advance medical discoveries, sustain a dynamic American economy, and protect our national security, COGR warns. It maintains that the reimbursement process is efficient, based on acutal research costs, and already partially borne by universities. In fiscal 2023 universities paid $28 billion from their own institutional funds to support research, including $6.8 billion for the federal share of F&A costs that wasn't reimbursed.

An association of research universities (including 42 ARCS partner institutions), affiliated medical centers, and independent research institutes, COGR is the national authority on federal policies and regulations affecting U.S. research institutions. 

Comments from Leading Organizations on Withholding of NIH Funding

Council on Competitiveness

Council on Competitiveness logoProposed reduction to National Institutes of Health funding "will negatively impact ongoing, critical life sciences and medical research at a time when competitors, especially China, are looking for any advantage to seize the lead in the global innovation race, and to dominate critical exponential technologies from AI to the biosciences." Read the complete statement

ARCS Foundation is a member of the council, which unites leaders from academia, business, labor, and the national labs, in a nonpartisan effort to lead the global economy, strengthen the innovation infrastructure, and raise the standard of living for all Americans.

American Association of Universities

Association of American Universities logo"A cut to F&A reimbursements for NIH grants is quite simply a cut to the life-saving medical research that helps countless American families.” Read AAU President Barbara Snyder's complete statement

27 ARCS partner universities are members of AAU.

Association of Public Land Grant Universities

Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities logo"This action will slow advances for millions of patients who desperately need critical breakthroughs and imperil the U.S. position as the world leader in biomedical innovation." Read APLU President Mark Becker's complee statement

27 ARCS partner universities are members of APLU.

NOTE: AAU and APLU joined with the American Council on Education in legal action contesting NIH cuts to F&A. Read more

American Association for the Advancement of Science

American Association for the Advancement of Science logo“Science, engineering and medicine are searches for truth, facts and objectivity. We live in a time when that seems under threat,” observed AAAS Chief Executive Officer Sudip Parikh at the 2025 AAAS Annual Meeting in Boston. "Decisions made by all three branches of the U.S. government in the weeks ahead will affect our enterprise for years to come," added Board Chair Joseph Francisco.  Read more

DOWNLOAD AAAS PDFs providing talking points for expressing support for science and instructions for visiting Congressional representatives.

In February AAAS and the Royal Society released Science Diplomacy in an Era of Disruption, a science diplomacy framework addressing challenges including increased economic competition, rapid technological advancements like artificial intelligence, and the rise of non-state actors including “tech titans.” 

FROM ARCS PARTNER UNIVERSITIES
Stanford University

"Every study … has found that a dollar put into university research and science has a payoff of multiple dollars over time in social benefits,” says economist and Stanford University President Jonathan Levin. Read more

University of Washington

The Alumni Association’s UW Impacdt! legislative advocacy program offers alerts on key issues and ways to advocate for funding and policies that support discovery. Learn more

University of Hawai‘i
Green University of Hawaii seal

UH is 52nd on the Chronicle of Higher Education's list of institutions with greatest exposure from new federal policies, President Wendy Hensel said in her April 17 report to the Board of Regents. Federal actions have resulted in 48 programs being terminated, paused, or phased out, affecting 82 employees and $36 million in grants, she reported in an April 21 public forum. UH launched a Federal Policies and Updates page and Graduate Student Success Fund for adversely affected students.

Washington State University

"We're talking about an absolutely massive budgetary challenge," Provost T. Riley-Tillman advised the WSU Board of Regents in a Feb. 17 report on federal executive orders and proposed NIH funding cuts.

Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University Research Save Lives mark

"We are watching America cede its supremacy in biomedical science, and we may never regain our position," writes Professor Jordan Green in the Research Saves Lives project. 

University of California System

The Federal Updates webpage includes a message from President Micheal Drake and link to an Executive Order tracker.