{"id":524,"date":"2026-01-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/?p=524"},"modified":"2026-01-08T14:14:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T19:14:20","slug":"federal-research-cuts-hit-uconn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/2026\/01\/05\/federal-research-cuts-hit-uconn\/","title":{"rendered":"Federal research cuts hit UConn "},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Sara Bedi\u00adgian
UConn Jour\u00adnal\u00adism<\/strong>
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UConn has lost $95 million in federal funding over the past year. \/\/ Photo by Sara Bedigian<\/p>\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_4228-1024x768.jpg\" src=\"http:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_4228-1024x768.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-525\" srcset=\"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_4228-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_4228-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_4228-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_4228-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_4228-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">
Sign on the Uni\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adty of Con\u00adnecti\u00adcut Storrs cam\u00adpus. UConn has lost $95 mil\u00adlion in fed\u00ader\u00adal fund\u00ading over the past year. Pho\u00adto by Sara Bedi\u00adgian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Uni\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adty of Con\u00adnecti\u00adcut Pro\u00adfes\u00adsor Jen\u00adnifer McGar\u00adry has spent more than 20 years run\u00adning a fed\u00ader\u00adal\u00adly fund\u00aded pro\u00adgram that pro\u00advides nutri\u00adtion and phys\u00adi\u00adcal activ\u00adi\u00adty sup\u00adport to low-income fam\u00adi\u00adlies in the Greater Hart\u00adford area.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

UConn received $2 mil\u00adlion per year from the Depart\u00adment of Agri\u00adcul\u00adture for the effort, part of a larg\u00ader $5 mil\u00adlion statewide grant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In late Sep\u00adtem\u00adber, McGar\u00adry received an email from the fed\u00ader\u00adal gov\u00adern\u00adment say\u00ading the grant had been cut \u2014 part of the almost $95 mil\u00adlion that UConn has lost through reduced, slowed or ter\u00admi\u00adnat\u00aded fed\u00ader\u00adal research awards over the past year.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re oper\u00adat\u00ading with this lev\u00adel of stress, anx\u00adi\u00adety, respon\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty for your\u00adself and the peo\u00adple that you work with to do the work that you do,\u201d McGar\u00adry said. \u201cThere\u2019s all the peo\u00adple that would have been helped, sup\u00adport\u00aded, kept alive, if that work con\u00adtin\u00adued \u2014 so that\u2019s pret\u00adty heavy to think about.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jennifer McGarry lost her nearly $2 million grant from the federal government in September. \/\/ Photo by Sara Bedigian<\/p>\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_3375-1024x768.jpg\" src=\"http:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_3375-1024x768.jpg\" alt class=\"wp-image-580\" srcset=\"https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_3375-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_3375-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_3375-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_3375-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/digitaljournalism.uconn.edu\/balance-of-power\/files\/2025\/12\/IMG_3375-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\">
Uni\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adty of Con\u00adnecti\u00adcut pro\u00adfes\u00adsor Jen\u00adnifer McGar\u00adry. McGar\u00adry lost her near\u00adly $2 mil\u00adlion grant from the fed\u00ader\u00adal gov\u00adern\u00adment in Sep\u00adtem\u00adber. Pho\u00adto by Sara Bedi\u00adgian<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Since tak\u00ading office in Jan\u00adu\u00adary 2025, the Trump admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion has can\u00adceled pre\u00advi\u00adous\u00adly approved research grants and with\u00adheld fund\u00ading at uni\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adties nation\u00adwide. Many of the cuts have reflect\u00aded the admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion\u2019s oppo\u00adsi\u00adtion to diver\u00adsi\u00adty, equi\u00adty and inclu\u00adsion prac\u00adtices as well as greater scruti\u00adny of spend\u00ading in areas such as cli\u00admate change and pub\u00adlic health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While UConn has not been indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adal\u00adly tar\u00adget\u00aded by Trump or engaged in high-pro\u00adfile bat\u00adtles with the pres\u00adi\u00addent like oth\u00ader uni\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adties such as Har\u00advard, Colum\u00adbia and Brown, it has been impact\u00aded by the administration\u2019s unprece\u00addent\u00aded research grant cuts and changes to fed\u00ader\u00adal fund\u00ading.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

UConn has lost $41 mil\u00adlion from research grant ter\u00admi\u00adna\u00adtions and unex\u00adpect\u00aded non-renewals, said Lind\u00adsay DiS\u00adte\u00adfano, inter\u00adim vice pres\u00adi\u00addent of research. New research awards were down $54 mil\u00adlion in fis\u00adcal year 2025 com\u00adpared to fis\u00adcal year 2024, bring\u00ading the loss to $95 mil\u00adlion as of Oct. 15, 2025, she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe research being done at UConn is impor\u00adtant \u2014 not just to our uni\u00adver\u00adsi\u00adty, but it makes actu\u00adal impacts,\u201d DiS\u00adte\u00adfano said. \u201cIt makes impacts across the state, across the coun\u00adtry, across the world, and mak\u00ading sure that peo\u00adple are sup\u00adport\u00aded and con\u00adtin\u00adu\u00ading to do this incred\u00adi\u00adble work is essen\u00adtial.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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