NSF Grant Review Panels Halted Amid Executive Order Compliance Efforts
A sudden halt has been placed on all grant review panels by the National Science Foundation (NSF) this week, as the organization adjusts its processes to align with recent executive orders issued by the Trump administration. This unexpected move has left many in the scientific community grappling with uncertainty.
With funding from the National Science Foundation and other government grants, scientists and meteorologists from the Center for Severe Weather Research study a storm in Oklahoma in 2017. They get close to supercell storms and tornadoes to better understand their formation and improve prediction. Drew Angerer/Getty Images North America
The NSF, which operates with a budget of approximately $9 billion, supports a diverse array of scientific research projects by awarding grants to universities and research institutions. The agency relies on panels of experts to evaluate the merits of grant proposals, a process that has now been interrupted.
This week alone, over 60 scheduled review meetings were canceled, leaving panelists perplexed about the duration and implications of the pause. An NSF representative assured NPR that all review panels will be rescheduled, aiming to “make the best use of everyone’s time and resources” while ensuring compliance with the new executive directives.
Romi Burks, a biologist from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, expressed her frustration at the cancellation after dedicating weeks to prepare for her panel participation. “It’s a considerable amount of effort,” she remarked. “It’s extremely disappointing for it to be canceled for political reasons.”
The delay in grant approvals translates into postponed funding for research, potentially jeopardizing the work of scientists, including tenured faculty, post-doctoral researchers, and graduate students who rely on these grants for support. Burks highlighted the challenges this poses, stating that planning for fieldwork or collaborations becomes difficult without timely notifications. “It’s already a long time to get grants reviewed, any more time is just an increasing burden,” she added.
The specific executive orders prompting the halt remain unclear, though there is speculation that President Trump’s focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives may be influencing the situation. NSF evaluates grant applications based on intellectual merit and broader impacts, the latter of which includes promoting participation from underrepresented groups in science.
This development follows similar actions by the National Institutes of Health, which recently canceled its scientific meetings and study sections last week, further contributing to the growing unease within the research community.
Looking ahead, the NSF has additional review panels slated for next week, though the agency has yet to confirm whether these will also face rescheduling.
