Support for lawsuit defending scientific research

Dear members of the MIT community,

Recently, Harvard University filed suit to block a federal action to eliminate all grant funding it receives from the US government.

This afternoon, we joined a broad group of US research universities in filing this amicus (“friend of the court”) brief in the case. Although the value to the public of federally funded university research feels obvious to us at MIT, we felt compelled to make the case for its countless benefits to the court and, in effect, to the American people.

Overall, the brief argues that the distinctive US model of government support for scientific research is a decisive American success story – a powerful engine for US security, competitiveness, prosperity, health and quality of life.

The brief describes the history of federal research funding since World War II and highlights the kind of benefits the nation has reaped from it, including the origins and development of the modern internet, the human genome project and other medical developments, substantial economic growth and US global leadership in key technologies.

It also makes clear that arbitrary cuts to the research ecosystem could have very serious consequences, including lost collaborations, a diminished ability to train the next generation of scientists and inventors, and a decline in our ability to transform fundamental scientific discoveries the nation has already paid for into useful advances for the public.

The brief emphasizes the public interest in protecting the research enterprise, both as a source of discoveries, inventions and cures with direct benefits in people’s daily lives and as a driving force for economic competitiveness, job creation and national security. It also details the irreparable harm to universities and the nation’s leading scientific talent if funding is withdrawn for reasons unrelated to the research itself. Finally, the brief explains how draining funds from university research undercuts the nation’s ability to educate the workers the US technology industry depends on – and the tech leaders who go on to found new companies that spawn new jobs.

Unfortunately, the subject of this amicus is only one of several current threats to MIT, to the nation’s research universities and to the whole enterprise of US science and innovation. Finding constructive practical ways to address these concerns is my highest priority, and I will continue to keep you informed.

Sincerely,

Sally Kornbluth
President