US National Science Foundation (NSF), fundamental academic research grant, announced yesterday Research has reopened a website that divides money to scientists. The movement, after a week of confusion and frustration for researchers financed by NSF, comes when the agency frozen their financing. End Directives Financing diversity, equity and inclusion (call) efforts And all the federal resources of these conditions to make a basket.
Although the fund after a federal judge, the U.S. government has been ordered by the US government, NSF said that the review will continue.
Whiplash shows that “the United States are not a stable place to be scientist,” says Julia Barnes, NSF, University of Knoxville University Anthropologist Knoxville. “Scientists funded by NSF don’t pay much, but we care a lot about the research we do.”
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Nsf inside what is going on and can understand what the future can hold better Nature They talked to six NSF staff, because anonymity was not allowed to talk to the press. Everyone expressed strong concerns about the decisions of the final agency, especially to freeze funds.
“People are trying to understand what is going on,” A NSF employee says. “Funding has been freezing, and continues to be completely confusing for everyone.”
An NSF spokesman refused to comment on the actions of the agency and point to it instead Nature to NSF website information about the establishment of Trump executive commands.
Whiplash Week
In the first hours of his presidency, Trump The executive order bar signedThey are decrees directing the actions of the US government, but cannot change existing laws. Orders obtained the policy of climate sciences, public health, federal staff and others. A week later, the Trump Administration gave a note to frozen all federal grants. January 28 A federal judge would have a temporary blockingAnd the white house then confirmed. But white house press secretary Karoline Levitt X social media platform x Trump executive promised executive financing “would continue with full force.” In response, NSF canceled the funds and canceled a week’s subsidy reviews, which are used to determine the projects funded.
Financing Financing to permanently stop, 22 States and Columbia districts sued the federal government and the agencies. Since the two federal judges have temporarily blocked freezing funding, which may not exceed the proper authority.
Those who hold the judges will hold a temporary timeline. Although NSF could have a difficult time, because their fund focuses on the U.S. congresses, it is a meaning protected by law, Specializes in Law and Public Policies at Princeton University in New Jersey.
The action of NSF is another area that can be made against the law. Since 1980, Congress has promised that the agency seeks to participate in high-replacement groups, including women and other minorities, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (stem). “Orders are illegal,” says a NSF employee. “The NSF Statute scope is being violated.”
The NSF spokesman did not answer a consultation on a concern about the probabilities of Trump Orders agency responsibilities.
Interior Scholarship Review
NSF does not publicly share research grants and those who violate Trump orders continue to flag, but NSF staff shared documents Nature Clarify the process.
About 10,000 research support have been marked to review and distribute several directors of the program. They are distributing grants in a field of science on another site of science. For example, the GEOSCIENCES department is examining the subsidies of social, behavior and economic science distribution. Aid two employees revise from companies to indicate possible violations of Trump requests. Reviews will be sent until 5:00 this afternoon.
Nature He has seen the criteria for marking grants.
“Women and” woman “and” woman “and” colored people “was repeatedly, and repeatedly elm, that is, an NSF employee.
Grant actions may cancel, archive or modify the period of 7 February. A member of five and eight members of NSF will review revised subsidies, which will go to the Directors Office for approval.
“We have already reviewed all of them,” says that a NSF employee, referring to forced before funding for funding proposals. “It’s really scary and ridiculous.” Another shares these concerns, but when he faced Trump orders, “NSF is being honest, as painful as it may be.”
Science interrupted
The uncertainty of funding has been confused by NSF funded scientists whether the agencies can continue to be honored or not to honor existing scholarships.
Jasmin Graham, a marine biologist created by the minimum of scientific science minorities, is still a tenth of the group’s exploitation budget, yet to deviate. “Today we are going to get the rest of the funds in the hypothesis … and are strategic to find alternative sources of funding.”
Last week, more than 100 fellows received directly received from the agency, they were left out of the payment system, and asked how they would do. Although the system is back online, the postdocs they talked Nature Say how constant funding revisions could be worried about. “The financing was violently cut and restored,” A postdoc asked anonymity from fearless fear Nature. “Why do I think staying here?”
The agency has not articulated researchers to be articulated beyond smattering “cryptic communications”, as the insoflines says. Because all NSF grants promises the U.S. Congress to describe the “broader effects” of society, a plan to increase the participation of science women and the minority minority, the researchers were concerned that the prize could be in the reduction block.
“NSF must be exposed to us as possible by the highest possible people,” Barnes says. “That is the taxpayer by scientists funded by public public.”
Some scientists say that they have the opportunity in the uproar. “Participation in the stem goes beyond race, ethnicity and gender identity, with the poor areas of rural areas, Suzanne Barbour, a biochemist in Durham, North Carolina, a panel that advises a NSF to encourage the participation of high replacement teams in science. “We hope this conversation becomes an act of investment in education.”
Others are concerned about delaying research grants for early career researchers who can be particularly harmful. “Subsidies do not now create knowledge or output,” says Wei Yang Yang Tham, Economists at the Canadian University of Toronto It examines phenomenon. “They have become the way we protect future scientists’ training.”
This article reproduces with permission and has been First posted On February 3, 2025.
