NSF faces radical shake-up as officials abolish its 37 divisions

Science ^ | May 8, 2025 | Jeffrey Mervis

[cgbg]

The National Science Foundation (NSF), already battered by White House directives and staff reductions, is plunging into deeper turmoil.

According to sources who requested anonymity for fear of retribution, staff were told today that the agency’s 37 divisions—across all eight NSF directorates—are being abolished and the number of programs within those divisions will be drastically reduced.

The current directors and deputy directors will lose their titles and might be reassigned to other positions at the agency or elsewhere in the federal government.

As soon as this evening, NSF is also expected to send layoff notices to an unspecified number of its 1700-member staff.

The remaining staff and programs will be assigned to one of the eight smaller directorates. Staff will receive a memo on Friday “with details to be finalized by the end of the fiscal year,” sources tell Science.

The agency is also expected to issue another round of notices tomorrow terminating grants that have already been awarded, sources say.

In the past 3 weeks, the agency has pulled the plug on almost 1400 grants worth more than $1 billion.

[SaveFerris]

Science!!! 🧪🧪🧪🧪🧪

[bert]

I think you are right

Then there is precedent. It is easier to do what you have always done rather than rethink everything all the time

[StAnDeliver]

$400K for that NSF(W) LBGTQ+GTFO garbage!?! Nice find.

[Honorary Serb]

Some time ago, I was a co-principal investigator on an NSF grant at a leading university.

In research sponsored by that grant, I received two US patents for novel methods in cancer immunotherapy.

If the Trump administration keeps cutting NSF and NIH grants, we shall concede scientific leadership to totalitarian, communist anti-Christian China. People on this forum need to get real! So does the administration!