UK Universities Feeling The Pinch As Trump Cuts Hit Research Grants

30th June 2025

Trump administration cuts have forced over 20 research projects at top UK universities to be paused or cancelled, with "stop notices" issued to Russell Group institutions.

Over 20 projects at leading Russell Group universities have been hit by "stop notices" or outright funding cancellations after the Trump administration suspended or pulled US research grants. Areas like international development, climate change and diversity, equity & inclusion—part of a broader executive‐order drive that's axed billions from US science budgets and even threatened a 40 percent cut to the NIH.

Freedom-of-Information returns show at least nine UK-based research groups got formal stop notices, and another 14 projects lost sub-recipient funding from American partners.

Five institutions—Durham, Leeds, Liverpool, Nottingham and Southampton—had grants directly cancelled or paused. For example, Liverpool's USDAID-backed study on boosting smallholder poultry production and egg consumption in Ethiopian children was abruptly disrupted once US aid funding evaporated, despite a successful pilot phase.

Nottingham received two stop notices: one for creating a strategic "religious engagement assessment tool" with the US Institute of Peace (which Trump attempted to close), and another for a forced-child-begging project in Niger (now partly resumed after negotiations).

Durham saw four awards scrapped, including a British Association for American Studies grant funded via the US embassy—withdrawn after BAAS refused to drop DEI considerations from its selection process.

The fallout? UK teams must scramble to replace lost funds, pause fieldwork, re-scope studies or outright cancel collaborations—undermining years of planning and risking the UK's role in global research networks.

What are the broader impacts of these funding losses on UK research?
Project disruption and sunk costs With formal "stop notices" hitting over 20 Russell Group projects, labs and field teams have had to halt work mid-experiment, mothball equipment or scrap data already gathered. Months—even years—of planning, pilot studies and partnership building go to waste, forcing universities into frantic budget reshuffles or outright cancellations.

Chilling effect on future US-UK ties Trump's DEI‐driven directives don't just yank cash; they inject uncertainty into thousands of collaborative awards.

A 2023 UKRI report showed 3,000 UK-US grants worth £3 billion—many peppered with diversity or equity clauses now risk non-renewal or stricter vetting.
That makes UK researchers think twice about transatlantic bids, chilling innovation in humanities, social sciences and STEM alike.

Hit to health research and local economies Beyond academic papers, cutting NIH indirect rates to 15 percent threatens vital support services—lab managers, technicians, core facilities—which at some institutions was worth tens of millions annually.

One US university alone forecast a $40 million shortfall next year, a warning sign for UK health-research centres that rely on similar overheads to fight cancer, Alzheimer's or opioid misuse.

Long-term reputational damage and talent drain Repeated funding shocks undermine Britain's standing as a dependable research partner. Early-career scientists lose international mentors, PhD cohorts shrink and "brain-circulation" slows. Over time, this could hollow out entire disciplines just as global cooperation is most needed.

How many jobs will be lost by these funding changes?

Immediate risk to project teams
At least 20 UK‐led projects have been halted outright by US "stop notices" or funding withdrawals across five Russell-Group institutions (Durham, Leeds, Liverpool, Nottingham, Southampton).

Typical research teams on these awards include a principal investigator plus one to three post-docs or research assistants—and often a technician or two—so you’re looking at roughly 100-120 roles put on hold right now.

Sector-wide redundancies amplify the picture • Even before these US cuts, UK higher-ed institutions have announced more than 4,500 job losses at individual universities so far in 2025
Edinburgh 350;
Nottingham 258;
Dundee up to 632;
Newcastle 300, etc.)
Those figures feed into broader forecasts that the sector could shed around 10,000 roles by the end of 2025 as multiple funding streams tighten.

Bottom line: the US grant withdrawals alone imperil on the order of a hundred direct research posts immediately—and they pile onto a wave of redundancies already threatening thousands more across UK universities.

For more details check Th Times Educational Supplement