University of Minnesota President Rebecca Cunningham on Monday accused the federal government of launching a “direct attack” on her institution’s public service mission by seeking to cut funding to equip and maintain its research facilities.
U leaders huddled this past weekend to figure out how to respond to Friday’s announcement that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) would limit the “indirect” support it gives to academic institutions along with direct financing of research. In a Monday memo to U staff and students, Cunningham said the university plans to fight the cuts by lobbying lawmakers and publicizing the consequences of the reduced funding.
“This decision would cut reimbursements for research facilities and administrative costs, which cover critical, lifesaving research activities ranging from patient safety to research security,” she wrote. “It would no doubt have serious consequences for patients across the state, as well as our students, faculty and staff.”
The fight against the cuts saw swift court action Monday and at least a temporary victory.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison joined with colleagues from 21 other states to sue the federal government in an attempt to block the funding cut. Ellison said in a statement that “it’s against the law” for the Trump administration to toss aside agreements negotiated individually with grant recipients for their indirect costs.
Later Monday, U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley in Massachusetts temporarily blocked the cuts from taking effect and set a hearing for Feb. 21 to determine their legality.
Friday’s decision by the Trump administration caught academic leaders off guard, capping NIH’s indirect support to no more than 15% on top of the grants it issues to research institutions.
Minnesota stands to lose more than $117 million, based on the nearly $630 million in NIH funding its institutions received in 2024, according to an analysis by a policy leader at Education Reform Now. The analysis suggests more than $60 million in funding is at risk for the U and more than $50 million for Mayo Clinic in Rochester.