UCLA funding freeze sparks research crisis

The University of California has confirmed that the Trump administration's suspension of federal research funding to the University of California, Los Angeles, totals $584 million, a move UC President James Milliken warned would be a "death knell" for critical medical, scientific and energy research.

The suspension, which affects at least 800 grants from agencies including the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Energy, represents more than half of UCLA's annual federal research funding. It is more than twice the amount initially estimated when news of the freezes emerged last week.

UC has agreed to enter negotiations with the federal administration after the US Department of Justice accused UCLA of violating Title VI and Title VII of federal civil rights law by failing to adequately address antisemitism and bias on campus, according to Milliken, who took up the top UC post on Aug 1.

"These cuts do nothing to address antisemitism," Milliken said. "Moreover, the extensive work that UCLA and the entire University of California have taken to combat antisemitism has apparently been ignored. The announced cuts would be a death knell for innovative work that saves lives, grows our economy, and fortifies our national security. It is in our country's best interest that funding be restored."

UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk echoed the alarm, calling the suspensions "devastating for UCLA and for Americans across the nation whose work, health and future depend on our groundbreaking research and scholarship".

"We are doing everything we can to protect the interests of faculty, students and staff — and to defend our values and principles," Frenk said.

The Justice Department's action follows campus protests in 2024 related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with federal officials alleging that UCLA showed "deliberate indifference" to the civil rights of Jewish and Israeli students. Additional allegations include unlawful use of race in admissions and allowing transgender athletes to compete on teams matching their gender identity.

Similar federal investigations have targeted elite institutions such as Harvard, Brown and Columbia. Brown University agreed to restore funding by committing to new anti-bias measures and paying $50 million to the state for workforce development, while Columbia University agreed to pay over $200 million to the federal government and to share admissions data with Washington. Both universities regained access to hundreds of millions in research funds under the settlements.

Observers warn that these escalating funding freezes could disrupt not only US domestic research but also international scientific cooperation, particularly in areas such as clean energy, neuroscience and global health.

On Thursday, Trump signed a memorandum that requires universities to collect admissions data to prove they are not engaged in efforts to shape their student bodies along racial lines, according to the White House.

But the largest higher education policy and lobbying organization in the US said the wording of the memo was vague. The American Council on Education also said it may be illegal for schools to collect the data on race that the White House seeks.

Agencies contributed to this story.

renali@chinadailyusa.com