[fullmetal]

The claim followed rumors that meetings of researchers at the National Institutes of Health had been canceled. In these meetings, known as review-panel or study-section meetings and advisory councils, experts of any given discipline get together to decide which research projects will receive grants from the agency. These meetings are often scheduled a year in advance, with sometimes dozens of participants, which means they can be difficult to reschedule. Canceling these meetings without rescheduling them can result in a research funding freeze.

(Bluesky / ‪@medickimw.bsky.social‬)

The posts read:

Original post: Colleague of mine just got back from zoom study section saying the SRO [scientific review officer] shut down the meeting while they were in the middle of discussing grants, saying some executive order wouldn't let them continue. l'm just wondering if anyone else has any info on this. At first it sounded like "diversity" initiatives might have been a factor, but now I'm wondering if there's a wider freeze. Any other tips out there?

Response: My colleague was in a virtual study section that was similarly shut down by the SRO (perhaps the same one, or this is a wider issue). Someone followed up via email that the SRO was a DEI hire and was placed on leave immediately today so the meeting had to end. This is bananas.

Science Magazine published a report on Jan. 22, 2025, according to which at least one meeting had been cut short and another had been canceled moments before it was due to start:

Today, for example, officials halted midstream a training workshop for junior scientists, called off a workshop on adolescent learning minutes before it was to begin, and canceled meetings of two advisory councils. Panels that were scheduled to review grant proposals also received eleventh-hour word that they wouldn't be meeting.

https://www.snopes.com/news/2025/01/28/t...-research/

Meetings to determine allocation of grant money have been canceled.  It's not clear that already-awarded grants are having their funds terminated, although:

“To the extent required by law,” agencies may also take “certain administrative actions” like closing out grants, it states.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/27/politics/...index.html

The memo also says:

Refrain from publicly issuing any documents (e.g., regulation, guidance, notice, grant announcement) or communication (e.g., social media, websites, press releases, and communication using listservs) until it has been reviewed and approved by a presidential appointee," through February 1.

[fullmetal]

The claim followed rumors that meetings of researchers at the National Institutes of Health had been canceled. In these meetings, known as review-panel or study-section meetings and advisory councils, experts of any given discipline get together to decide which research projects will receive grants from the agency. These meetings are often scheduled a year in advance, with sometimes dozens of participants, which means they can be difficult to reschedule. Canceling these meetings without rescheduling them can result in a research funding freeze.

(Bluesky / ‪@medickimw.bsky.social‬)

The posts read:

Original post: Colleague of mine just got back from zoom study section saying the SRO [scientific review officer] shut down the meeting while they were in the middle of discussing grants, saying some executive order wouldn't let them continue. l'm just wondering if anyone else has any info on this. At first it sounded like "diversity" initiatives might have been a factor, but now I'm wondering if there's a wider freeze. Any other tips out there?

Response: My colleague was in a virtual study section that was similarly shut down by the SRO (perhaps the same one, or this is a wider issue). Someone followed up via email that the SRO was a DEI hire and was placed on leave immediately today so the meeting had to end. This is bananas.

Science Magazine published a report on Jan. 22, 2025, according to which at least one meeting had been cut short and another had been canceled moments before it was due to start:

Today, for example, officials halted midstream a training workshop for junior scientists, called off a workshop on adolescent learning minutes before it was to begin, and canceled meetings of two advisory councils. Panels that were scheduled to review grant proposals also received eleventh-hour word that they wouldn't be meeting.

https://www.snopes.com/news/2025/01/28/t...-research/

Meetings to determine allocation of grant money have been canceled.  It's not clear that already-awarded grants are having their funds terminated, although:

“To the extent required by law,” agencies may also take “certain administrative actions” like closing out grants, it states.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/27/politics/...index.html

The memo also says:

Refrain from publicly issuing any documents (e.g., regulation, guidance, notice, grant announcement) or communication (e.g., social media, websites, press releases, and communication using listservs) until it has been reviewed and approved by a presidential appointee," through February 1.