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UMass leaders say federal grant slowdowns threaten research enterprise, endorse state DRIVE proposal

5761380 · September 11, 2025
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

University of Massachusetts officials told the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies on Sept. 11 that recent federal cancellations and delays to research awards have reduced funding, prompted layoffs and risked losing talent — and they urged state consideration of the governor's DRIVE initiative as bridge support.

State university leaders testified Sept. 11 before the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies that recent federal cancellations and slowdowns of research grants have damaged the Commonwealth’s university research enterprise and that the governor’s DRIVE initiative could help bridge the gap.

Neff Walker, senior vice president for academic affairs for the UMass president’s office, told the committee that UMass had seen “$12,600,000 in grants terminated, $3,300,000 in grants suspended for a combined loss of $16,000,000,” and described a broader slowdown in new awards. “Without action, Massachusetts risks losing some of its top talent, its competitive edge, and its leadership role in…

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