MIT joins lawsuit against funding cuts for Department of Energy
Current lawsuit parallels earlier response to cuts to National Institutes of Health funding
On April 14, MIT President Sally Kornbluth wrote in an email to the MIT community that the Institute had joined several peer schools and higher education associations in a lawsuit to stop indirect cost cuts to grants provided via the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
The plaintiffs filed suit in response to the DOE's April 11 announcement that it would no longer cover indirect costs at previous rates for grants and would cancel grants that did not meet a blanket 15% rate. According to Kornbluth, funding from the DOE supports the work of nearly 1,000 members of the MIT community. Kornbluth wrote, “For many years, each university has negotiated with the granting agency a reimbursement rate that reflects factors like the regional cost of living.”
Kornbluth wrote that this action was not the sole legal means that MIT has taken in countering federal action in the recent months and weeks. On March 4, Kornbluth said in a video sent to the MIT community that she is in communication with legislators on the national and state level. “When appropriate…we are going to court,” she said. However, the announcement did not mention any specific instances of MIT's involvement in litigation.
In early February, MIT, along with several other peer universities, filed a lawsuit against the Department of Health and Human Services and National Institutes of Health (NIH). Kornbluth wrote that the court granted a permanent injunction, which remains in force while the government seeks to appeal.
In that same communication in March, Kornbluth stated that the Institute had implemented a hiring freeze on non-critical staff positions and was exploring options to cut five to ten percent of the academic and administrative unit.
The latest updates on MIT’s response to government activity can be found on MIT's response to government activity page.