NSF Continues Grant Terminations; Director Resigns

By: Yvette Seger
Thursday, May 8, 2025
On April 18, the National Science Foundation (NSF) began issuing termination notices to grantees for efforts deemed “not aligned with agency priorities.” Additional grants were terminated over the next two weeks. With each round of terminations, the agency issued updated information about NSF priorities and Frequently Asked Questions, the most recent update being May 2, 2025.

Agency upheaval was not limited to grant terminations. On April 24, NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan, PhD, announced his immediate resignation. Dr. Panchanathan was confirmed as NSF Director in 2020 during the first Trump administration. A week after Dr. Panchanathan’s departure, the agency announced implementation of a standard 15 percent indirect cost rate for NSF grants and cooperative agreements awarded to institutions of higher education, effective immediately. NSF is the third agency to implement a 15 percent standard indirect cost rate, following similar initiatives at the Environmental Protection Agency and National Institutes of Health, the latter delayed as a result of multiple legal actions.