Public records obtained by OPB from Oregon State University (OSU) and Portland State University (PSU) reveal a wide range of grant-funded projects that have been ordered to halt, spanning from wildfire research to cybersecurity training and behavioral healthcare studies. These stop-work orders originate from various federal agencies, totaling around a dozen.
Notably absent from the lists of stop-work orders at both universities are the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). These agencies have recently garnered attention for their significant alterations to grant programs in response to directives from the Trump administration.
The NSF and NIH are crucial to research funding in the U.S., with the NSF’s $8.5 billion budget in 2021 supporting nearly 25% of all federally-funded scientific and engineering research at higher education institutions nationwide. The NIH allocates most of its nearly $48 billion budget to research grants for universities, medical schools, and other research entities. The absence of NSF and NIH funding could have severe financial repercussions for Oregon’s research universities, including Oregon Health and Science University.
PSU has received stop-work orders regarding studies funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Department of Energy, while OSU has been directed to pause projects funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Interior Department.
There are also growing concerns regarding the NIH’s recent decision to limit indirect research costs to 15%. These indirect costs encompass essential overhead expenses, such as facility rentals, utility bills, and administrative salaries. Insufficient funding to cover these basic expenses could hinder research teams’ ability to pursue critical project tasks, including launching new clinical trials.
On February 19, over 100 research faculty members from universities across Oregon and Washington gathered outside OHSU’s South Waterfront clinics to protest the NIH’s guidance on indirect costs. Higher education labor representatives emphasized the need to support research, science, and education and urged universities not to preemptively cut programs or staff.
Oregon’s universities have largely adopted a stance that some faculty and students may perceive as neutral. Higher education leaders have stated their intention to remain focused on their missions while closely monitoring federal developments. At the University of Oregon, the guidance is to continue research activities as normal while providing support to the university community.
