APS warns proposed US research grant rules could politicise funding decisions
The American Physical Society (APS) has warned that proposed changes to US federal research grant regulations could introduce political considerations into the scientific funding process, undermining peer review and long-established research practices.
In an open letter to members, APS President Brad Marston and APS Chief Executive Officer Jonathan A. Bagger described the proposals, announced by the US Administration on 29 May, as a significant threat to the country’s scientific and innovation ecosystem.
According to APS, the proposed regulations would allow political preferences to influence federal grant-making decisions, affecting areas including peer review, international collaboration, research travel, dissemination of findings and programmes designed to train future scientists.
The society said the proposals differ from recent challenges facing the US research community, including funding reductions, grant cancellations and broader agency restructuring, because they would establish formal regulatory mechanisms that could have lasting effects on how federal research funding is allocated.
“We have spent the past year defending science from severe funding cuts, grant terminations, and agency upheaval,” the letter states. “This is different.”
APS argues that embedding political oversight within the grant process could make future reforms more difficult regardless of changes in administration.
The organisation said it is coordinating its response with other scientific and engineering bodies and characterised the issue as a defence of a funding system that has operated under administrations from both major political parties.
“This is not a partisan fight; it is a defense of a system that has served science, and the country, under administrations of both parties for generations,” the letter says.
APS also announced plans to launch a letter-writing portal on 17 June to help researchers submit formal responses to the proposed rule changes. The society said it is focusing on encouraging detailed, evidence-based submissions, arguing that substantive comments carry greater weight during the federal rule-making process than large volumes of generic responses.
The intervention comes amid ongoing concerns across the US research community about the future direction of federal science policy and the independence of peer-reviewed funding decisions.
APS has urged members and their colleagues to monitor developments and prepare to engage with the consultation process once further guidance is released.