A BU project to improve padding for US Army helmets by finding the most shock-absorbing shape could also lead to better car bumpers and consumer packaging. It’s the type of effort at risk from proposed DOD research funding cuts.

University News

BU Backs Lawsuit to Halt Cuts to Department of Defense Research Funding

Legal declaration says dramatic drop in DOD support could imperil research that “millions of Americans benefit from and depend on”

Boston University has given its backing to another lawsuit seeking to halt dramatic cuts in federal funding for critical research—this time by the Department of Defense (DOD). On Monday, the Association of American Universities (AAU), of which BU is a member, filed suit in US District Court for the District of Massachusetts against a DOD move to slash its reimbursement of research at higher education institutions.

The University has already publicly supported lawsuits aiming to prevent similar proposed cuts by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Energy (DOE), and National Science Foundation (NSF). In a legal declaration backing the latest suit, BU said the impact of the DOD’s move would “be significant.” The department has said it will cut its facilities and administrative (F&A) rates, important payments that partially reimburse institutions for essential research support expenses, including for facilities and shared equipment maintenance, as well as for complying with legal reporting requirements.

At BU, the DOD cuts could damage research with direct benefits to the armed forces—and beyond. Funded projects include the development or study of a saliva test to assess a soldier’s readiness for grueling tasks, US Army helmet padding with improved shock absorption, and the use of twisting beams of light to more efficiently transmit data. The breakthroughs funded by the DOD also have the potential to have a positive impact on the rest of society: the saliva test could help athletes manage their training or clinicians assess maternal health during pregnancy; twisting beams of light could speed up your internet and make it more energy efficient; the knowledge gained in improving helmets could lead to better car bumpers and consumer packaging.

“The funding Boston University receives from DOD supports critical and cutting-edge research, which millions of Americans benefit from and depend on,” said Thomas Bifano, BU’s vice president and associate provost for research ad interim, in the declaration.

In fiscal year 2024, the University received $24 million in funding from the department and expects to receive $26.7 million in 2025. “If—contrary to what Boston University has negotiated with the federal government—the F&A cost rate is reduced to 15%,” said the declaration, “Boston University’s anticipated F&A cost recovery for its current DOD awards would be reduced by more than $5.1 million.”

The AAU suit was filed in response to a DOD memorandum issued on June 12 that specifically targeted research funding given to institutions of higher education. Despite announcing the drop in support, the memo said the “academic community’s work with the Department remains essential for the development of transformative research concepts that drive our future capabilities.”

But in its complaint, the AAU—which was joined in the filing by the American Council on Education (ACE), the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, 11 leading universities, and one state university system—called the cut an “unlawful effort” that, if allowed to stand, would “stop critical research in its tracks, lead to layoffs and cutbacks at universities across the country, badly undermine scientific research at United States universities, and erode our nation’s enviable status as a global leader in scientific research and innovation.” The suit notes that courts have already enjoined the NIH and DOE rate cuts, while the NSF has voluntarily stayed its push after the AAU and others called for a preliminary injunction.

In a statement released about the legal challenge, ACE said. “To put it simply, this cut to university research would make our nation less safe, threaten our future defense readiness, and weaken our global security.”