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ITHACA, NY (607NewsNow) — Legal action in Washington now includes Cornell.
In a statement, President Michael Kotlikoff said the school is joining the Association of American Universities and other groups in challenging the Department of Energy over proposed cuts to indirect costs for existing research grants.
“Government-sponsored research grants include both the direct cost of doing the work and the indirect cost of facilities, utilities, financial administration, and operations that accompany this highly technical research. Research sponsored by the Department of Energy entails significant indirect expenses such as large-scale computing, lab maintenance, and safety requirements for hazardous and radioactive materials,” Kotlikoff said.
Kotlikoff added that Cornell has a long history of federally supported research.
“The Department of Energy (DOE) chooses universities like Cornell to take on critically important scientific exploration that adds immeasurably to our economy and scientific understanding, including discoveries that support manufacturing and industrial efforts vital to national security, American manufacturing, economic competitiveness, and progress toward energy independence. Projects cover a wide range of disciplines and applications, including revolutionizing the fundamental understanding of electroanalytical chemistry, developing materials for energy independence, designing circuits for artificial intelligence, maintaining safety and security of nuclear weapons, developing biodegradable plastic, and creating materials for stealth technology,” Kotlikoff continued.
Kotlikoff also says the cuts will “cause irreparable harm to Cornell’s research enterprise, paralyze progress on projects of national importance, and threaten the training of the next generation of energy scientists.”
Last week, the Trump Administration reportedly froze about $1 billion dollars in federal funding to Cornell while the Defense Department issued over 75 stop work orders.