Australia’s leading universities involved in research-based work are in a fix. The Trump administration has withdrawn U.S. financing to some of their researchers and ordered others who get U.S. government funding to demonstrate that their work aligns with American interests.
The move might endanger vital medical and defense research in Australia, according to the Group of Eight, a group of the nation’s most research-intensive universities, reports Reuters.
According to the institutions, a 36-point questionnaire was sent to some researchers who receive funding from U.S. federal agencies asking them to rate how well their work aligns with U.S. President Donald Trump’s goals.
The Trump administration’s efforts to terminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives were among the topics covered in the survey. According to the Group of Eight, in many instances, recipients were only given 48 hours to reply.
“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 CEO Vicki Thomson said in a statement to Reuters.
The Group of Eight has sought Australian government intervention and is seeking urgent guidance from the U.S. government, including a time extension to respond to the questionnaire, the statement said.
The Group of Eight (Go8) comprises Australia’s leading research-intensive universities – the University of Melbourne, the Australian National University, the University of Sydney, the University of Queensland, the University of Western Australia, the University of Adelaide, Monash University and UNSW Sydney.
On February 12, the Group of Eight issued a statement, ‘Lifting investment in research and development is essential for Australia’s long term economic prosperity, security and wellbeing.’ The paper identifies that the Government’s strategic examination of research and development (SERD) is a critical initiative to unlock Australia’s innovative and productive capacity and drive economic growth.
The SERD discussion paper crucially recognises that R&D is essential to lifting productivity and underwriting national prosperity. Increasing investment in R&D must be a national priority.
Seventy percent of all university research in Australia is conducted by the Group of Eight, and their biggest international research partner is the United States.
The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded grants totaling approximately $161.6 million to the universities between 2020 and 2024.
The universities stated that some academics had received a ‘show cause’ notification to justify continuous financing within the last week, as well as a comprehensive survey with questions about the Trump administration’s priorities and research partnership with China, Russia, Cuba, or Iran.
The questionnaire, issued by the U.S. 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 1-5 based on how it promoted U.S. interests such as preventing illegal immigration, limiting the flow of illicit drugs into the country, “combatting Christian prosecution” and strengthening U.S. supply chains.