SYDNEY – Australia’s top universities said on March 13 that the Trump administration had cut US funding to some of its researchers and asked others who receive US government financial support to prove their work aligned with American interests.
The Group of Eight, a coalition of Australia’s most research-intensive universities, said the action could jeopardise crucial medical and defence research in the country.
Some researchers who receive funding from US federal agencies had been asked to assess their work’s compliance with US President Donald Trump’s agenda in a 36-point questionnaire, said the universities.
The survey included questions on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes that the Trump administration has been seeking to end.
In some cases, recipients were given only 48 hours to respond, the Group of Eight said.
“We are extremely concerned about the broader implications of the Trump administration’s policy, not only for the future of health and medical research, but especially regarding defence collaboration,” the Group of Eight chief executive Vicki Thomson said in a statement to Reuters.
The Group of Eight has sought Australian government intervention and is seeking urgent guidance from the US government, including a time extension to respond to the questionnaire, the statement said.
A spokesperson for the US embassy in Canberra declined to comment. Australia’s Education Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Group of Eight universities carry out 70 per cent of all university research in Australia, and the US is their single largest global research partner.
The universities collectively received around US$161.6 million (S$215.5 million) in grants from the US National Institutes of Health between 2020 and 2024.
The universities said some researchers had received a “show cause” notification to justify ongoing funding over the past week and an extensive survey with questions relating to the Trump administration’s priorities and research collaboration with China, Russia, Cuba or Iran.
The questionnaire, issued by the US Office of Management and Budget and seen by Reuters, asked Australian researchers questions such as: “Can you confirm that this is no DEI project (sic) or DEI elements of the project?” and “Does this project take appropriate measures to protect women and to defend against gender ideology?”
It also asked them to rank their projects on a scale from one to five based on how it promoted US interests such as preventing illegal immigration, limiting the flow of illicit drugs into the country, “combatting Christian prosecution” and strengthening US supply chains. REUTERS
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