Funding Freeze Follow-up: Some Ag Research Grants Now Inaccessible

Editor’s note: Most interviewed for this article preferred to keep their identity private for fear of future reprisals.

Ag associations and universities across the country are scrambling to keep up with the depth of President Trump’s administrations freezes and cuts to funding. Even approved grants for both research and infrastructure are suddenly inaccessible.

One association has reported their log in to an approved grant account stopped working. A top agriculture researcher attached to a land grant college reports anonymously their USDA SCA (specific cooperative agreement) has been cancelled after it was approved and the funds are being transferred.

This researcher also has two funding requests that are stuck at pending.

“Neither have anything to do with DE [diversity and equity], transgender, or foreign aid,” they said.”

Another university has instructed its staff it can no longer use the survey program used by researchers accessing government funding. So, all of this university’s research involving surveying subjects is on hold.

And one top researcher at a major land grant college reports he has not had any of his funds frozen at this point. It’s difficult to discern what is being frozen and what is being rescinded.

University Responds to National Institute of Health Cuts

On Saturday, Feb. 8, leadership at Cornell University sent the following letter to its staff:

“We write today in response to yesterday’s NIH announcement of significant across-the-board reductions in indirect costs for research funding. Indirect costs cover essential expenses such as facilities, utilities, financial administration, and operations that enable research to flourish safely and responsibly. Indirect costs are an essential component of the decades-long partnership between the federal government and universities to conduct research that saves and improves lives and adds immeasurably to our economy. Federal cost sharing extends to many government agencies, and we are concerned that each of them may in turn be affected. These cuts violate this extraordinarily successful partnership and, if enacted, will irrevocably harm U.S. research and financially destabilize Cornell and universities across the nation.

Please know that Cornell is consulting peer institutions and legal experts to develop a coordinated response to this dramatic shift in funding academic research. We emphatically believe that cuts of this nature will irreparably harm American competitiveness and curtail the scientific breakthroughs that benefit society.

Leadership across the university is working to assess potential impacts at the college and school, lab, and principal investigator level.  We will share more specific data as it is available.

While we work to reverse the announced reductions, we are engaging in thoughtful discussion with faculty and researchers with significant NIH portfolios. We encourage researchers to consider short-term measures for expenses and to avoid new hiring or spending for the moment. Please consult with your colleagues on shared resources and to think beyond the walls of your own labs to the people, activities, and equipment that might be shared to reduce our expenses.

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Over the past couple of weeks, beyond this recent NIH announcement, we have received stoppages issued from other government agencies, including USAID. We at Cornell are working to understand, respond to, and mitigate the impact of these government actions.

We encourage you to continue consulting the Executive Orders website for the latest updates, including research-specific updates and FAQs.  If you have questions about existing grants or in-flight proposals, please email [email protected] or [email protected].

Cornell is a world-class research institution dedicated to discovery and translating that discovery to benefit the public in all aspects of American life. Our foundational mission “to do the greatest good” is unwavering. We will respond to this NIH news and other federal developments with decisions aligned with our academic commitment and institutional values.”

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SOUND OFF

Is your work connected to the fruit and vegetable industry? Have you been affected by the recent wave of budget cuts? Here’s your chance to tell us how it’s affecting you – good, bad, or otherwise. In addition to the impact on your own work, please explain how you see the cuts affecting your part of the industry.

You can leave a reader comment below and/or email responses to: [email protected].

Note: All responses will be treated as anonymous, unless you specifically note that you want your name and/or occupation posted.

Here’s your chance to tell your story. Real-world examples are vital to providing the full picture of how these cuts will affect the produce industry. Be as specific as possible, then tell us how you think the cuts will affect the industry’s future.