Announcements

Supporting and Strengthening Columbia’s Research Enterprise

May 09, 2025
Aerial view of Columbia's campus.

Dear members of the Columbia community:

For the past several months, Columbia’s research enterprise has been confronting one of the most sustained and serious disruptions in its history. Major interruptions in federal funding, especially from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), are affecting nearly every part of our research community. However, we are also responding with determination, urgency, and an unwavering commitment to what defines us as an institution.

Today, I want to share how we are protecting Columbia’s research mission, both by addressing the immediate crisis and by planning for a more resilient, more strategic future.

Federal Advocacy and the Future of Funding

Columbia’s long and productive partnership with the federal government has made us a global leader in research. That relationship is now under strain. Approximately $400 million in federal grants have been terminated. Active projects are going unpaid, and some proposals are not being accepted for review.

We continue to engage with the federal government with the aim of restoring funding and reestablishing the flow of grant support in a manner that upholds and strengthens our institutional values. Through the Association of American Universities (AAU), we are also part of a coordinated national effort to push back on proposed cuts to NIH, National Science Foundation (NSF), and other agencies; reductions to facilities and administrative (F&A) reimbursements; and other policy changes that threaten the foundations of U.S. academic research. The AAU has launched a campaign aimed at educating the public on indirect costs, which is similar to the information we have posted about facilities and administrative costs at the University. These efforts are vital—not only to restoring funding, but also to reinforcing public trust in the research enterprise itself.

Stabilization and Support for Researchers

To support as much continuity as possible for our faculty, students, staff, and labs, we have launched two research stabilization funds:

  • One, created with the support of NewYork-Presbyterian, is focused on Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons and the clinical and translational research taking place there.
  • The other supports the broader university research community, with special attention to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows whose training grants have been affected.

These funds are not intended to replace federal support, but to serve as a bridge—allowing researchers to bring projects to completion, explore alternative funding, or pivot to new directions. The Office of the Executive Vice President for Research (EVPR) will oversee the application process, and more information is available on the EVPR website. Efforts to expand these funds through philanthropic support are already underway.

Long-Term Resilience and Strategic Planning

We are also preparing for the long term. I have launched a Presidential Task Force on Columbia’s Research Mission together with our EVP of Research Jeannette Wing, chaired by Provost Angela Olinto and Acting CEO of CUIMC and Interim Dean of the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons James McKiernan (full membership listed below). The task force includes academic and research leaders from across the University and is charged with:

  • Strategic planning and multi-year financial forecasting
  • Developing sustainable alternative funding models
  • Aligning school-based efforts and sharing best practices
  • Rethinking our research footprint in the face of long-term shifts in the federal landscape

The task force will benefit from support from outside advisors and faculty experts at Columbia Business School.

In addition, we’ve created a Working Group on Strategic Engagement and Institutional Credibility (full membership listed below), which is developing new strategies for how Columbia can communicate its research values, mission, and public impact more effectively to a wide range of stakeholders.

Let me be clear: We are committed to doing all we can to ensure that Columbia’s research enterprise not only survives this moment—but is positioned to thrive in the years to come. That commitment is not negotiable, and we will uphold it—through resourcefulness, partnership, and persistence.

I am deeply grateful to all of you—faculty, students, postdocs, and staff—who continue to advance Columbia’s mission through your work, even under difficult and uncertain conditions. Your resilience is what makes Columbia strong. I will continue to listen, to engage, and to share updates as we navigate this moment together.

With appreciation,

Claire Shipman
Acting President, Columbia University in the City of New York
 


Presidential Task Force on Columbia’s Research Mission

  • Executive Sponsor: Claire Shipman, Acting President, Columbia University in the City of New York
  • Executive Sponsor: Jeannette Wing, Executive Vice President for Research; Professor of Computer Science
  • Co-Chair: Angela V. Olinto, Provost; Professor of Astronomy and of Physics
  • Co-Chair: James McKiernan, Co-Chair, Interim Dean of the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons; Acting Executive Vice President for Health and Biomedical Sciences; John K. Latimer Professor of Urology
  • Alexis Abramson, Dean, Climate School
  • Shih-Fu Chang, Dean, Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science
  • Lorraine Frazier, Dean, Columbia Nursing School; Senior Vice President, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
  • Ali G. Gharavi, Harold Ames Hatch (II) Professor of Medicine; Chair, Department of Medicine
  • Ruben L. Gonzalez, Dean of Science in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences; Professor of Chemistry and of Physiology & Cellular Biophysics; Chair, Frontiers of Science
  • Amy E. Hungerford, Executive Vice President for Arts and Sciences and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences
  • Stavros Lomvardas, Roy and Diana Vagelos Chair, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics
  • Wil McKoy, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Interim COO, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
  • Daphna Shohamy, Director, Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute
  • Kathleen Sikkema, Stephen Smith Professor of Sociomedical Sciences; Chair, Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health
  • Anne R. Sullivan, Executive Vice President for Finance

Working Group on Strategic Engagement and Institutional Credibility

  • Matt Connelly, Professor of History
  • Garud Iyengar, Avanessians Director of the Data Science Institute
  • Gita Johar, Meyer Feldberg Professor of Business
  • Joshua Mitts, David J. Greenwald Professor of Law
  • Michael Morris, Chavkin-Chang Professor of Leadership in the Faculty of Business
  • Aimee Payne, Herbert and Florence Irving Professor of Dermatology; Chair, Department of Dermatology
  • Maria Ressa, Professor of Professional Practice in the Faculty of International Public Affairs
  • Elizabeth Saunders, Professor of Political Science
  • Duy Linh Tu, Professor of Professional Practice in the Faculty of Journalism
  • OIajide Williams, Professor of Neurology and Health Policy and Management; Vice Dean of Community Health, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
  • Keren Yarhi-Milo, Dean, School of International and Public Affairs