TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The University of Arizona is watching millions of dollars in Federal research grants disappear. Universities across the county have the same problem. UA is trying to hold its research programs together.
The UA campus is quiet in the summer but parts of the University are about to get quieter. Federal grants are a big part of what makes the University hum and millions of dollars of those grants have been pulled.
The Trump Administration has canceled grants at Universities across the country. Sometimes saying the grants do not align with Administration priorities.
There’s no detail on why U of A grants were affected but a website to update the U of A community on grant cuts says as of July 8th 64 grants are terminated or under stop order.
The site says they come to more than $59 Million dollars in unspent grant money.
34 grant awards have been reinstated with a value of more than $6.3 Million restored.
U of A has been told ten grants from the National Institutes of Health will not be renewed. Four other NIH grants have been restored.
The grants equal jobs. Doctor Leila Hudson chairs the U of A Faculty. She calls the cuts a bloody blow to researchers and their staffs.
“It's a major challenge for the university, and not just our university, all universities, to deal with this abrupt disruption to one of the core parts of our mission.”
She hopes Federal funding will bounce back when there’s a new administration but says the University needs to find new funding partners in industry, tap the University’s own endowment and keep enough money flowing so programs and people don’t get driven away before U of A finds funding from new sources.
It’s called bridge funding. U of A’s Senior Vice President for Research Dr. Tomás Díaz de la Rubia told the Arizona Board of Regents U of A is already a bridge funding leader.
He said, “We’ve been able to support every graduate student, every faculty member who asked for resources.”
U of A and Leila Hudson both say the government grant cuts seem to be slowing down. It’s been more than a month since the last cut came down.
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Craig Smith is a reporter for KGUN 9. With more than 40 years of reporting in cities like Tampa, Houston and Austin, Craig has covered more than 40 Space Shuttle launches and covered historic hurricanes like Katrina, Ivan, Andrew and Hugo. Share your story ideas and important issues with Craig by emailing craig.smith@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and Twitter.
