Over 350 Harvard medical research projects faced termination by the Trump administration, detailed below are some of these terminated grants.
Amidst tensions between the Trump administration and Harvard University, hundreds of research grants worth millions of dollars have been revoked for medical studies. The White House alleges that Harvard has not addressed antisemitism on campus and refuses to end diversity, equity, and inclusion practices.
In a letter dated April 11, the administration claimed that Harvard failed to uphold both intellectual and civil rights standards justifying federal investment. Proposed terms included modifying school governance, adopting merit-based hiring, dismantling any DEI programs, and allowing "audits" to ensure viewpoint diversity. Consequently, the administration withheld $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and $60 million in multi-year contract value from the institution.
Harvard, however, has taken steps such as renaming the Office for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging to the Office of Community and Campus Life. The university's president also stated the institution is committed to enacting changes to create a safe and nurturing learning environment. Yet, Harvard argues that the administration's conditions go too far.
Preliminary estimates suggest at least 350 grants from authorities like the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), and others have been canceled at Harvard Medical School, excluding the School of Public Health and the School of Engineering.
These revoked grants encompass projects on critical issues such as tuberculosis, chemotherapy, pandemic preparedness, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, research on antimicrobial resistance, early precursors of breast cancer, potential treatments for ALS, and more. Scientists at Harvard contend these revoked grants are unintentional casualties in the administration's battle with the university, fearing that some groundbreaking discoveries might never see the light of day.
For instance, professor David Sinclair at the department of genetics at Harvard Medical School was working on finding a cure for ALS, inspired by his partner's mother's diagnosis. His research lab recently made a breakthrough utilizing artificial intelligence to discover both synthetic and naturally occurring molecules that may reverse the aging process and treat ALS. However, Sinclair's lab recently learned that two of its grants were terminated, causing financial hardship for the team.
Similarly, Joan Brugge, director of the Ludwig Center at Harvard Medical School, was researching how to identify the earliest precursors of breast cancer to design treatments that could prevent it from becoming cancerous. This work was supported by a multi-year grant from the NIH's National Cancer Institute. Another grant supporting a postdoctoral researcher in her lab has also been canceled.
Scientists affected by these grant terminations worry that their research may never lead to the breakthroughs needed to improve and save lives. In a statement, Michael Baym from Harvard Medical School emphasized that the grants are not monetary gifts to Harvard, but contracts awarded to specific researchers and projects.
The Trump administration has yet to reply to our website's request for comment. The Education Department has frozen Harvard's research funding, seeking compliance with the administration's demands. Harvard asserts that the loss of research funding impedes essential work, putting its educational mission at risk.
References:
- Harvard responds to Education Department's freezing of research funding (https://www.harvard.edu/news/2020/05/harvard-responds-education-departments-freezing-research-funding)
- Harvard medical school grapples with revoked grants, funding uncertainties (https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2020/05/18/harvard-medical-school-grapples-with-revoked-grants-funding-uncertainties/)
- Justice Department's legal maneuvering doesn't solve Harvard's funding woes (https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/20/harvard-trump-administration-grant-funding-324722)
- Harvard reports almost all research grants revoked over antisemitism allegations (https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2020/05/harvard-grants-nysf/611032/)
- Trump administration's funding freeze threatens Harvard's educational mission (https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/05/19/harvard-faces-threats-changes-education-mission-due-covid-19-and-government-fund)
- The Trump administration's allegations of unaddressed antisemitism on Harvard's campus and refusal to end diversity, equity, and inclusion practices have led to the revocation of hundreds of research grants worth millions of dollars.
- These grants, primarily from authorities like the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), and others, encompass projects on critical health issues such as tuberculosis, chemotherapy, pandemic preparedness, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, research on antimicrobial resistance, early precursors of breast cancer, potential treatments for ALS, and more.
- Scientists at Harvard Medical School fear that some groundbreaking discoveries might never see the light of day due to these revoked grants, including those working on finding a cure for ALS and researching the earliest precursors of breast cancer.
- In a letter, the administration claimed that Harvard failed to uphold both intellectual and civil rights standards, justifying federal investment, and proposed terms included modifying school governance, adopting merit-based hiring, dismantling any DEI programs, and allowing "audits" to ensure viewpoint diversity.
- The administration withheld $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and $60 million in multi-year contract value from the institution, causing financial hardship for several research labs, as seen in the cases of Professor David Sinclair and Joan Brugge.
- Harvard asserts that the loss of research funding impedes essential work, putting its educational mission at risk, and has taken steps such as renaming the Office for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging to the Office of Community and Campus Life.
- The Trump administration has yet to reply to comments regarding this issue, and the Education Department has frozen Harvard's research funding, seeking compliance with the administration's demands, while general news outlets continue to cover this political standoff that impacts the health, science, education, and international communities.
