At least one research project at ANU has lost US funding because it doesn’t align with Donald Trump’s view of the world. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
Australian National University has fallen victim to Donald Trump’s review of his government’s research funding, with at least one of the Canberra-based uni’s projects being cut from US collaboration.
The Trump Administration has demanded to know from several Australian universities the focus of their research projects and whether they promote so-called woke and/or green-left agendas, have links to China, or what the President determines encourages terrorist views.
A similar 36-point questionnaire was also sent to American universities and government agencies.
In Australia, six universities have reportedly had funding cut as a result of the review.
ANU vice-chancellor Professor Genevieve Bell told staff via an email on Tuesday (18 March): “We have had the first termination of funding from the United States.
“It is hard to ignore the broader contexts in which we are operating – a looming federal election and a growing complexity of geo-political forces impacting us here in Australia.
“We are committed to supporting our researchers and the work we do here, in all the ways we can.”
The university has not expanded on what project or projects have been cut from US research money, but are in the realm of the social sciences.
Other Australian universities thought to have also had research funding cut include University of Sydney, University of New South Wales, Monash University, University of Melbourne, and University of Western Australia.
The development has led Universities Australia chief executive officer Luke Sheehy to declare the “worrying trend” is making the US an unreliable research partner.
“Our greatest research partner in the US is looking like it’s becoming unreliable,” he said.
“This is an important and alarming development.”
Mr Sheehy said research funding from the US for Australian universities in 2024 alone accounted for more than $400 million.
That adds up to about half of the funding received from the Federal Government through research grants administered by the Australian Research Council.
With US funding being withdrawn, Mr Sheehy said the university sector in Australia needed the Federal Government to step up with clarity about the way forward for it.
He said the government should join the giant collaborative research fund Horizon Europe, which had some non-European members.
Group of Eight chief executive officer Vicki Thomson has written to the Industry Minister Ed Husic urging the same thing.
“Given the recent action taken by the Trump Administration regarding funding for collaborative research projects, we believe association to Horizon Europe is now vital,” she wrote.
“This, coupled with a surge in protectionist trade and industrial policies, impose a direct harm on Australian industry.”
The Group of Eight comprises Australia’s leading research-intensive universities.
Earlier this year, a memo sent to all US agencies, some US researchers and at least one Australian project directly from a US Government budget management agency said financial assistance would be dedicated to advancing the Trump Administration’s priorities to align it with “the will of the American people”.
“The use of Federal resources to advance Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies is a waste of taxpayer dollars that does not improve the day-to-day lives of those we serve,” it said.
The questionnaire wants to make sure university projects do not work with any party that “espouses anti-American beliefs”, and that they have not received any funding from the Chinese “state or non-state actors”.
It specifically asks whether research is a “no DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) project” or a “climate or ‘environmental justice’ project”.
The questionnaire also asks researchers to confirm projects “defend against gender ideology” and fight against “Christian prosecution”.
Australia’s university sector has accused the Trump Administration of “blatant foreign interference” by issuing the memo and linking funding to how its questions are answered.
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