A federal judge on Aug. 1 declined a request from 16 states to block the National Science Foundation (NSF) from terminating research funding awarded to universities for diversity-related projects.
Cronan determined that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate that NSF’s directive runs counter to its mandatory statutory obligations, according to the court ruling.
The judge also stated that NSF’s directive, by its terms, does not require the agency to stop supporting projects aimed at increasing participation of women, minorities, and people with disabilities in STEM fields, citing evidence presented by the plaintiffs.
For example, the University of Northern Colorado stated that NSF funding supported nine of its programs that specifically aim to promote minority participation in STEM fields. Of those, only one had its funding terminated following the change in the agency’s policies, according to the court order.
“To the contrary, the record makes clear that, under the Priority Directive, NSF continues to fund many projects that advance the congressional objectives reflected in the NSF Act,” Cronan stated.
“Research projects with more narrow impact limited to subgroups of people based on protected class or characteristics do not effectuate NSF priorities,” the directive stated.
Shortly after the directive was posted, the agency terminated several grant awards it claimed were not aligned with its current priorities, many of which are located in the plaintiffs’ states, according to the ruling.
The Epoch Times has reached out to both the plaintiffs and NSF for comments but did not receive a response by publication time.
The second NSF policy challenged in the lawsuit is the agency’s May 2 announcement that it would cap indirect costs on research projects at 15 percent. Such costs include expenses related to lab space, facility operations, and security for sensitive research.
The plaintiffs in the case include the states of New York, Hawaii, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin, and Massachusetts.
Naveen Athrappully contributed to this report.
