Cornell and Northwestern make deals with Trump administration, White House seeks input on accelerating science, and more

Northwestern signed a deal on Nov. 29, restoring at least $790 million in federal funding that was first frozen in April, and Cornell announced an agreement with the federal government on Nov. 7, restoring at least $250 million in frozen funds. In both cases, the government agreed to “fairly consider all applications for federal funding submitted by [the university]... without disfavored or favored treatment,” and permanently close all pending investigations regarding the school’s compliance with anti-discrimination laws. Both agreements run until the end of 2028.

Northwestern agreed to pay $75 million to the federal government over the next three years. The university also agreed to provide the government with anonymized undergraduate admissions data, eliminate any advantages to individuals based on protected characteristics, and continue complying with foreign gift and contract reporting. Northwestern also agreed to reverse all of the policies in the agreement it signed with pro-Palestinian student protesters in 2024.

Cornell agreed to pay the government $30 million over three years and spend another $30 million on “research programs that will directly benefit U.S. farmers through lower costs of production and enhanced efficiency, including but not limited to programs that incorporate AI and robotics.” Cornell also agreed to provide the government with anonymized undergraduate admissions data and to continue complying with foreign gift and contract reporting.

Northwestern and Cornell join four other universities that have agreed to terms aimed at staving off the Trump administration’s pressure campaign of grant cancellations and legal action. Columbia University agreed to pay a $200 million settlement, and Brown University committed to spending $50 million on workforce development programs. The University of Pennsylvania and the University of Virginia signed agreements that did not include fines.

Some universities have reclaimed federal funding through lawsuits. At Harvard University, most, if not all, federal funding was restored via court order in October. In mid-November, in an unusually scathing order, a judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration from fining or cutting federal funding to the University of California system, stating that the White House is engaged in a “pressure campaign” that violates the First Amendment and multiple laws. The administration’s proposed deal to restore terminated grants to UCLA sought a nearly $1.2 billion fine from the university.

OSTP seeks input on accelerating science

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy has issued a request for information on how to accelerate the U.S. scientific enterprise, including by cutting regulations and changing funding mechanisms. The request asks for ways the federal government can better translate scientific discoveries into practical applications, use metascience findings to maximize scientific productivity, and develop more collaboration between the public and private sectors, between scientists and skilled technical workers, and between universities and local businesses. The RFI also asks about leveraging and preparing for advances in AI systems and for ways to strengthen research security “while minimizing compliance burdens.” Comments are due by Dec. 26.

US-China Commission issues quantum, export control recommendations

Congress should establish a “Quantum First” national goal focused on achieving a quantum computational advantage in cryptography, drug discovery, and materials science by 2030, according to the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission’s annual report to Congress, published in November. This effort would involve providing “significant funding” for U.S. quantum development and quantum workforce development initiatives, prioritizing modernization of enabling infrastructure, and establishing a Quantum Software Engineering Institute modeled after the National Science Foundation’s National AI Research Institutes. The report also recommends that Congress strengthen export controls in “fast-moving technology sectors, such as leading-edge semiconductors” with AI applications, and to address challenges from China’s “systematic and persistent evasion” of such controls, including by establishing a “consolidated economic statecraft entity” with export control and sanction authorities.

The commission also issued a separate report on Nov. 18 focused on competition between the U.S. and China in quantum. That report says the U.S. “still leads the world in most quantum research,” but that China leads in quantum communications and is “aggressively pursuing cryptographically relevant quantum computing.”