A group of universities and education groups, including Brown University and MIT, filed a lawsuit to stop the Department of Energy’s cuts to federal research grants. The DOE announced a new policy to reduce indirect costs of research grants to 15%, which the plaintiffs argue will devastate scientific research and hinder the nation’s role as an innovation leader. The lawsuit claims the policy change is unlawful and violates the Administrative Procedure Act. Indirect costs are essential to scientific work, including facilities, personnel, and administrative staff. The DOE argues the new policy will generate cost savings of over $405 million annually. The complaint argues that the cuts will jeopardize critical projects, reduce staffing, and impact the next generation of scientists. Universities like MIT, Brown, and Cornell stand to lose millions of dollars in research funding under the new policy. The lawsuit seeks to invalidate the Rate Cap Policy and obtain an injunction. The American Council on Education warned that the funding cuts would weaken America’s economic opportunities and workforce pipeline, benefiting competitors like China. University officials emphasized the impact the cuts would have on research, innovation, and training programs. The lawsuit also names DOE Secretary Chris Wright as a defendant.
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Lawsuits filed by universities challenging Energy Department funding cuts for research
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