Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Msu Research Frib topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Michigan State University president warns federal research cuts would affect state jobs, FRIB investments
Summary
Michigan State University told the appropriations subcommittee that federal research funding underpins statewide economic impact and warned proposed caps on indirect costs could reduce research capacity and jobs.
Michigan State University leaders told the House Appropriations Subcommittee that federal research funding and MSU's applied programs provide major statewide economic and workforce benefits—and that proposed federal reductions to indirect cost recovery would hinder that work.
An MSU president speaking to the subcommittee said MSU is approaching $932 million in annual research expenditures and noted the university is reliant on federal funding for roughly half of that research. He singled out proposed caps on indirect costs—citing a 15% cap proposed for some National Institutes of Health awards—as a risk to facilities and operations that enable research.
The president described MSU's Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science national user facility, as a major federal partnership: the president said FRIB has attracted about $1.5 billion in federal investment since 2012 and that 79% of FRIB spending has remained in Michigan. He said FRIB supports more than 700 jobs and more than $541 million in Michigan contracts since 2011.
On talent and workforce development, MSU's testimony emphasized transfer pathways (including partnerships with Lansing Community College), efforts to modernize general education, a range of short technical training programs and health sciences clinical partnerships. The president said MSU's colleges are working to address teacher shortages and early‑childhood vacancies and that roughly 70% of MSU health sciences students remain in Michigan to practice.
Committee members asked about the immediate effects of federal research cuts on clinical trials and on MSU's research portfolio; the president said MSU is actively making the case to congressional leaders and monitoring funding proposals.
No appropriations actions or binding motions were recorded during the MSU presentation; the testimony focused on research scale, federal partnerships and workforce pipelines.
