Louisiana will be among the most impacted states by the indefinite pause of funding from the National Science Foundation, Louisiana Illuminator writes.
The National Science Foundation―one of the top federal funders of scientific research at Louisiana universities―will pause funding of all existing grants and will stop awarding new grants, according to an internal memo exclusively reported by Nature. The agency announced it will also slash its indirect cost rate to 15%, joining the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Energy in doing so. That can result in tens of millions of dollars in loss for Louisiana schools.
Louisiana higher education leaders are warning of catastrophic impacts to students and the economy should the cuts take place.
Last year, LSU was awarded the largest-ever grant in NSF history. The 10-year nearly $160 million grant is funding the Future Use of Energy in Louisiana partnership, bringing together multiple universities and private industry partners to provide workforce development grants for the energy industry.
In the 2023 fiscal year, the most recent year that data is available, the National Science Foundation awarded over $54 million in grants to Louisiana universities. Each dollar spent on research is estimated to have triple the fiscal impact, according to numerous economic impact studies published by universities.
“We believe it will have a significant impact on our innovation, our workforce development and our economic development,” Ramesh Kolluru, vice president of research, innovation and economic development at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, says in an interview with the Illuminator.
