President Kornbluth discusses the finances, research, and future directions under the Trump administration
Kornbluth: “I really believe that science and technology — the R&D investments that have been made in universities in partnership with the government — are the key drivers of American success”
On April 30, The Tech interviewed President Sally Kornbluth with a focus on federal funding cuts affecting the Institute’s finances and research efforts in fields such as the life sciences and climate science. Kornbluth discussed her efforts in Washington, D.C. advocating for both MIT and science, MIT’s plans for sustained international collaboration amidst the recent crackdown on student visas, and her insights on how the MIT administration would respond if the Trump administration were to pressure MIT, as it has done for several peer universities.
On finances
Kornbluth stated that the administration has engaged in “scenario planning” for the upcoming 2026 fiscal year due to uncertain federal funding. As mentioned in the Feb. 19 faculty meeting, MIT is planning to implement funding cuts of 5% across all academic and administrative units. Each unit will individually decide on how to reduce costs, Kornbluth emphasized during the interview.
Given the uncertainty of federal funding budgets and a House proposal of a 21% increase on the university endowment tax rate, Executive Vice President and Treasurer Glen Shor and Vice President for Finance Katie Hammer have developed a framework to consider all possible levels of cuts and taxation. In short, Kornbluth said, the administration is “planning for a whole range of possibilities.”
MIT has seen few grant terminations from agencies like the National Institute of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), or the Department of Energy (DOE). Therefore, Kornbluth said, most of the Institute’s efforts have focused on preempting potential future maneuvers.
If the federal government follows through with wide-ranging cuts — presumably including a budget request proposed on May 2 that would slash more than half of the NSF’s budget — MIT won’t be able to fulfill its funding needs on its own. Instead, the Institute would pursue philanthropic funding and collaborations with industry. Kornbluth stressed that industry funding would still allow for faculty members to have academic freedom, including the right to publish results, as grants would mostly come in the form of seed financing to sponsor research.
In addition, Kornbluth stated that in the event of major funding cuts, MIT would try to support “particular areas of excellence” rather than pursuing “uniformly mediocre research.” Although she did not specify which areas might be deprioritized, Kornbluth emphasized that initiatives like MIT HEALS, the Generative AI Consortium, and the Climate Project highlight the work that is “really attractive about MIT.”
On science advocacy in D.C.
As in prior years, Kornbluth traveled to D.C. to meet with members of Congress and the executive branch to advocate for scientific research. “I really believe that science and technology — the R&D investments that have been made in universities in partnership with the government — are the key drivers of American success, particularly economic success,” Kornbluth said. “Interfering with that partnership, which has been so successful over the last 80 years or so, is a mistake.”
Kornbluth noted that most politicians she spoke with grasped the significance of science and technology for the country; her main goal was to mobilize “folks to speak” in support of research.
Although Kornbluth acknowledged that universities are not “perfect,” she believes that they are the “best avenue for R&D [research and development] in the country” because of their long-term returns, as opposed to the profit motives and short-term returns of industry. To underscore the impact of university research on the U.S. economy in her DC meetings, Kornbluth pointed to a 2015 report which estimated that MIT has started over 30,000 companies, generating around $1.9 trillion in cumulative annual revenue.
“Most of these companies started in curiosity-driven research — you need a long lead time for that,” she said. According to Kornbluth, decrease in research funding would not only result in a loss of current work, but also a loss in “talent and infrastructure built up over decades.”
On student visas and international collaboration
Although the SEVIS records of all nine previously terminated MIT international students have been restored, Kornbluth stated that the MIT administration is still carefully monitoring the database for any future deactivations. The Division of Student Life (DSL) and the International Students Office (ISO) have been in touch with the international students. In the event that a student needs legal assistance, Kornbluth mentioned that MIT has a fund to help students with “legal defense” and access to pro bono lawyers.
Although new federal policies for revoking a student’s legal status have put international students at higher risk, Kornbluth stated that MIT has not seen a decrease in applications from such students. She expressed hope that MIT will continue to have a “robust” international student population, reiterating that it is “critical” for MIT to attract the best talent from around the world.
Despite speculation that stricter laws on international students would negatively affect international collaboration, Kornbluth said that MISTI and industry partners, such as the Denmark-based Novo Nordisk foundation, have not “pulled back.”
On potential federal threats
In several cases, the federal government has withheld, or threatened to withhold, funding from universities until they comply with certain demands related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) or antisemitism. After the Trump administration froze $400 million in funding in March, Columbia University acquiesced to a series of changes, transferring control of its Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies department away from its faculty.
On the other hand, on April 14, Harvard University announced that it would not accept the government’s demands. In response, President Trump said that he would revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status, and on May 5, the Department of Education announced an immediate freeze on the school’s research funding that amounted to over $8 billion.
President Kornbluth told The Tech that, although she is not looking to be “provocative,” MIT would respond in the same way if it were in Harvard’s position. She cited “incursions into academic freedom” and interference in campus operations as particularly troubling. Kornbluth added that diversity requires maintaining “the pipeline for the best possible talent” and making sure that “the people here thrive” at MIT.