May 6, 2025

Yesterday the University of Chicago joined the Association of American Universities, American Council on Education, the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities and a number of impacted research universities as co-plaintiffs in a suit filed in the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, seeking to halt NSF's implementation of a standard indirect cost rate of 15% for new grants and cooperative agreements. NSF's proposed cap will harm scientific research at universities and impede technological progress by limiting the federal funding available for the critical buildings, infrastructure, systems, and staff necessary to conduct advanced research, and is contrary to current federal law.

At the University, NSF awards support critical and cutting-edge research in areas such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, particle physics, quantum sensors and computing, nanomaterials, economics, and the physics of living systems. This work benefits the American public in countless ways, including by enabling fundamental scientific discoveries and new technologies, training the next generation of leading scientists, and supporting high-tech jobs and businesses.