A University of Connecticut scientist said the research community is rattled by recent uncertainty around funding at the National Science Foundation (NSF).
The uncertainty follows an executive order from the Trump administration that paused NSF grant payments in January. The agency unfroze the money Sunday after a court called the pause unlawful.
The pause had students and post-doctoral fellows across the country and in Connecticut worried about paying bills as they were unable to access funds needed to support their research and livelihood.
“As of last week, that was frozen. Now that's been kind of temporarily changed,” said Jill Wegrzyn, associate professor in ecology and evolutionary biology at UConn. “But for students that are sort of waiting to see if their new funding is going to come in, that's a complete unknown right now. So we're definitely impacted by that.”
While the grant payments were unfrozen, the agency said it was still reviewing its award portfolio “in the context of recent Executive Orders.”
Wegrzyn said many of the students are unsure if their next stipend will be renewed, which has broader implications for scientific research. “Many students really need these opportunities to become scientists themselves,” she said.
The court issued a temporary restraining order blocking the federal government from pausing or withholding funds, ruling that the government cannot unilaterally withhold funds. The court order will remain effective until a future hearing, where the petitioning states must present more evidence for a longer-term preliminary injunction.
Learn more
National Science Foundation says it will unfreeze grant money after court order
National Science Foundation freezes payments in response to Trump's executive actions
