National Science Foundation eliminates equity division, cancels dozens more grants

WASHINGTON – The National Science Foundation canceled dozens of further grants connected May 9 arsenic the Department of Government Efficiency continues winnowing the agency's projects, according to aggregate sources with nonstop cognition of the changes.

The bureau besides announced successful a unit memo obtained by USA TODAY that it is eliminating its Division of Equity for Excellence successful STEM team. The memo says the bureau is laying disconnected astir 70 employees. The bureau plans to destruct astir 300 further impermanent positions. And employees who person worked remotely for years volition request to statesman moving retired of NSF's office successful Alexandria, Virginia, by June 16.

The Division of Equity for Excellence successful STEM promoted "diversity, equity and inclusion successful STEM by removing barriers and supporting the afloat information of underrepresented groups successful subject and engineering fields," according to a webpage removed from the NSF website May 9.

The time before, enactment announced it would dramatically restructure the bureau that has funded nonmedical technological probe for astir 75 years.

The assistance cancellations people the 3rd question of terminations to upend the bureau successful caller weeks. In total, the NSF has stopped much than 1,400 projects worthy much than $1 billion, according to a nationalist database of canceled grants maintained by researchers astatine subject nonprofit rOpenSci and Harvard University.

Many of the terminated grants person been touted by the Department of Government Efficiency arsenic "wasteful DEI" backing and respective align with a 2024 study published by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz identifying projects helium argued had been "politicized."

In summation to the assistance changes, the agency's director, Sethuraman Panchanathan, abruptly resigned from his presumption precocious past month. Panchanathan was appointed to the pb the bureau during Trump's archetypal term.

In precocious April, DOGE staffers showed up astatine the NSF headquarters, aggregate NSF employees told USA TODAY. A fewer days later, the bureau announced it would set its priorities to destruct awards "with much constrictive interaction constricted to subgroups of radical based connected protected people oregon characteristics," including those related to "diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and misinformation/disinformation."

This nonfiction primitively appeared connected USA TODAY: National Science Foundation eliminates equity division, cancels grants