Education
Chicago-Area University Research in Limbo as Trump Administration Pauses Federal Grants
Professors and researchers at Chicago-area universities said federal funding cuts are leaving research projects unfinished.
The Trump administration is freezing $790 million for Northwestern University. The Department of Defense issued stop-work orders for more than 100 research grants, putting faculty projects on pause.
Danielle Tullman-Ercek, a Northwestern professor who oversees several biological and chemical research projects, received an order from the Department of Defense to stop working on research funded by federal grants. She said the research cuts present a lot of uncertainty for the future of university research.
“Research at this level — the kinds of equipment that we need is expensive,” said Tullman-Ercek. “Materials and supplies are expensive. Just in general, it’s kind of like feeding your family. You know, food turns out to be a really big part of the budget, and the materials and supplies are the same way. So we will see how much there really is to support that side.”
Northwestern University officials announced plans to self-fund research projects impacted by the Trump administration’s freeze.
“This support is intended to keep these projects going until we have a better understanding of the funding landscape,” Northwestern University President Michael Schill and Board of Trustees Chair Peter Barris said in a statement.
Julius Lucks, a chemical engineering professor at Northwestern, said the stop-work orders put one of the biggest projects in his lab on pause: efforts to develop kits to test water for lead. His team is already deploying test kits throughout the Chicago area, with plans to expand all over the country.
He said that while Northwestern is a well-resourced elite institution, it can’t make up for the lost federal grants in the same way.
“There’s only so much universities can do to support these projects,” said Lucks. “If all the federal funding is cut, this work cannot be done. It (Northwestern) will not replace federal research dollars needed.”
Research funding from the CDC and National Institutes of Health is also at risk.
Dr. Linda Forst, a health professor at the University of Illinois Chicago, said she received informal communications that her research grant from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) could be put on pause. She hasn’t received official communication from the government about the grant’s status, and her lab has continued work with hopes that funding will still come. She said a pause in funding could put students and staff in limbo.
“If all of that funding goes away, we’re going to have to lay off — fire, really — a lot of faculty, staff, and we won’t have assistantship money for students,” Forst said. “We’re cutting off the pipeline to the workforce in science in the United States. So, it’s bad news for these students immediately, but it’s bad news for the United States over the long haul because we don’t have a new workforce coming through.”
