Overview

• The Trump administration has frozen billions in federal research grants to elite universities, citing antisemitism, DEI non-compliance, and campus protests as justification.
• Harvard University, facing a $2.2 billion funding threat, has filed a lawsuit challenging the administration’s actions, with a hearing set for July.
• Coalitions among Ivy League and Big Ten schools are forming to negotiate collectively and provide mutual defense against federal demands.
• The European Union and Canada are actively recruiting U.S.-based researchers, raising concerns of a potential brain drain and diminished U.S. global research leadership.
• Universities are using the summer to strategize, seeking alternative funding pathways and aligning responses to preserve academic autonomy and research continuity.