In an unprecedented move that is sending shockwaves through the global academic community, The Trump administration has terminated nearly 1,000 federal research grants awarded to Harvard University, amounting to more than $2.4 billion in lost funding. The sweeping cuts, which target a broad swath of scientific disciplines, are being viewed by many scholars as an assault not only on Harvard, but on academic freedom, scientific progress, and the foundational principles of U.S. higher education.
According to information gathered by The Researcher Daily from internal government sources, agency staff, and the Grant Watch project, the terminated grants include over 600 from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) alone, with a staggering combined value of around $2.2 billion. The National Science Foundation (NSF) followed with 193 grants worth nearly $150 million, while the Department of Defense (DoD) cut another 56 grants totaling $105 million. Additional terminations came from the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
These cuts represent about 11% of Harvard’s annual $6.4 billion operating budget and have already begun to dismantle vital research efforts across fields ranging from astrophysics and quantum computing to HIV prevention and tuberculosis treatment.
“A Siege on Science and Academic Freedom”
Harvard, the world’s wealthiest university with a $53 billion endowment, has long been a lightning rod in U.S. political discourse. But few expected such a targeted and comprehensive rollback of research funding. The Trump administration, in justifying the move, cited claims of antisemitism and racial discrimination in admissions, and even suggested that Harvard was fostering “anti-American, pro-terrorist” sentiment.
In a statement, Abigail Jackson, a spokesperson for the White House, claimed:
Harvard has turned their once-great institution into a hot-bed of anti-American, anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist agitators… now they must face the consequences of their actions.
Abigail Jackson
The NIH and DoD declined to comment, while the NSF remained largely silent.Alan Garber, Harvard’s president, defended the university, stating:
We stand behind our thousands of outstanding faculty, postdoctoral, staff, and student researchers… It is crucial for this country, the economy and humankind that this work continue.
Alan Garber
The administration’s actions have been interpreted by many as political retaliation for Harvard’s refusal to comply with federal demands to give the government oversight of admissions and hiring practices — a demand the university deemed unconstitutional and a threat to academic autonomy.
Research in Ruins
The impact on researchers and students has been immediate and deeply personal. Joseph Loparo, a biological chemist at Harvard Medical School, lost two NIH grants totaling $4.3 million.
Harvard cannot, even with its vast resources, just make up for this loss of federal funding….The future of long-term research has become unstable overnight
Joseph Loparo
David Charbonneau, an astrophysicist, saw his NSF grant — which funded the Tierras Observatory in Arizona — terminated with one year left. “How does cutting a research grant in astrophysics to look for planets orbiting other stars address antisemitism on campus?” he asked, bewildered.
Even student fellowships haven’t been spared. The NSF cut a $43-million grant supporting Harvard’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program. Although the awards are technically portable, students have been told that to access the funding, they would have to transfer to another university — an option that is both logistically and emotionally devastating.
“It makes me worry about the future of science,” said Emily Balskus, a chemical biologist whose lab includes three NSF fellows. “These students earned that recognition.”
Global Ripples
The consequences extend far beyond Cambridge, Massachusetts. Many of Harvard’s research grants involve multi-institution and international collaboration. Now, those projects are in limbo.
Molly Franke, an epidemiologist at Harvard’s School of Public Health, had four NIH grants totaling $6.6 million cut, including a $2.2 million project supporting HIV interventions for teenagers in Peru. “It’s quite unethical,” Franke said. “We’re working with vulnerable populations, and to terminate a grant like that in the middle is shocking.”
She also noted the international fallout. “Our collaborators in Lesotho and Peru send me news articles and ask, ‘Is this really true?’ They can’t believe it.”
A National Reckoning
The Harvard case marks one of the most dramatic ruptures between the federal government and academia in U.S. history. Though other universities such as Columbia have also faced grant cancellations, none have been subjected to cuts as deep or sweeping as Harvard’s. The defunding even includes projects aligned with Trump’s stated priorities, such as quantum computing and artificial intelligence.
Critics argue this is not just about Harvard — it’s about setting a precedent. “The government is trying to use funding as a weapon to dictate academic behavior,” said one senior scientist, who asked not to be named for fear of retribution. “Today it’s Harvard. Tomorrow, it could be any institution that challenges the administration’s worldview.”
In short…
As Harvard sues to stop the defunding and a federal judge temporarily halts a related policy blocking international student enrollment, the academic world is watching with bated breath. This moment, many agree, is not just a test of Harvard’s resilience — but a turning point for the future of American science, higher education, and democratic governance.
The outcome could shape the U.S. research landscape for decades to come. If leading institutions can be defunded for refusing political oversight, then the very idea of scientific independence — once a cornerstone of American innovation — may be in peril.
