The academic sector of the United States of America continues to be in turmoil: this time, the educational community was shocked by changes in the system of distribution of scientific grants at the federal level. US President Donald Trump has appointed a group of officials who will assess potential candidates for grants and make their decisions.
Previously, this was done by specialized commissions of independent expert scientists, who had been doing this since 1945.
The document of the decree "On Improving Supervision of Federal Grants" says that officials will first of all have to assess the compliance of the research topic with the interests of the country. Even if the project passes the initial selection and receives part of the grant amount, the authorities can interrupt the financing at any time. In addition, officials now have access to such a function as a ban on the payment of subgrants.
In addition, the decree includes topics from the "black list" that will not receive grant support from the government: they concern everything that is aimed at promoting anti-American principles and values, gender, and supports certain inclusion programs.
Academics, heads of administrative structures and other experts in the scientific and educational field sharply condemned the presidential decree, many expressed the opinion that it was offensive and even ridiculous. Representatives of the community are worried that now the distribution of federal grants will not be objective, but subjective - with an emphasis on the personal preferences and interests of officials.
