Announced on Friday, the NSF clarified that its mission promotes “the progress of science, advance the national health, prosperity and welfare, and secure the national defense,” and will be rescinding awards that fund any research outside of this scope.
“NSF will continue to support research with the goal of understanding or addressing participation in STEM, in accordance with all applicable statutes and mandates, with the core goal of creating opportunities for all Americans,” NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan said in a statement.
In the same statement, the NSF noted in a series of “frequently asked questions” that specific grants being terminated include those deemed to focus on “diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and misinformation/disinformation.”
Moving forward, NSF will prioritize funding research projects that adhere to the focus areas outlined in the American Competes Reauthorization Act of 2020.
These six focus areas include increasing U.S. economic competitiveness; advancing public health and welfare; supporting national defense; enhancing academia and industry partnerships; enhancing the STEM education system; improving public science literacy; and expanding women and minority group’s participation in STEM.
The announcement of grant terminations also clarified that NSF will continue supporting and operating programs that focus on broadening participation in STEM opportunities for individuals with legally protected characteristics. It attempts to differentiate ensuring broad access to scientific research funding from DEI-based advocacy through alignment with NSF priorities and the potential impact a given research project may have.
“Projects submitted to legally mandated ..
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