Northwestern will continue to fund research affected by more than 100 stop-work orders announced last week, Board of Trustees Chair Peter Barris and University President Michael Schill announced in a Thursday email.
The decision comes amid the federal government’s $790 million funding freeze for NU.
According to the email, the University intends to sustain research projects affected by the stop-work orders until the future of NU’s federal funding becomes more clear.
“The work we do is essential to our community, to the nation and to the world,” Barris and Schill wrote in the email. “Enabling this vital research to continue is among our most important priorities, and supporting our researchers in this moment is a responsibility we take seriously.”
The email also encouraged NU researchers to continue to be judicious in their use of funding. This, they said, will minimize risk and allow the University to support research for longer.
The Trump administration has yet to officially notify the University of the freeze nor the demands to return funding.
Unlike NU, other elite universities facing funding cuts and freezes — such as Harvard University and Columbia University — have received communication from the Trump administration about their respective funding changes and the demands to regain funding.
The relief does not apply to projects previously terminated by the federal government, Barris and Schill wrote in the email.
The University also launched a website Wednesday, titled “Research Impact: Life-changing cures and solutions, discovered right here,” to highlight some of the University’s “most promising work.” The page can now be accessed from NU’s homepage under “Improving Lives: Federally funded research at Northwestern drives life-saving innovations.”
Similarly on April 9, Harvard also changed the front page of its website to highlight research. The page is now titled “Research Powers Progress” and features information about Harvard’s research projects and funding.
“We continue to be heartened by the resilience of our community,” Barris and Schill wrote in the email. “Despite myriad challenges, so many of you have been able to remain focused on what we do best — improving the lives of those around us.”
Email: [email protected]
Related Stories:
— More than 100 NU graduate projects receive stop-work orders from Department of Defense
— Federal government freezes $790 million in funding for Northwestern
