According to a report in the Tampa Bay Business Journal, the University of South Florida (USF) is facing a potential loss of approximately $10 million in grant funds due to recent cuts by the government’s Department of Efficiency (DOGE).
As of March 23, two grants awarded to USF have ended. A USF spokesperson said, “USF will continue to consider canceling the investigation grant and will be able to consider appeals on a case-by-case basis.”
One important grant from the Department of Defense was worth more than $14.53 million. The grant is scheduled to commence on October 1, 2022 and end September 30, 2027, resulting in Doge’s savings of over $7.21 million. The grant was used to operate the vessel and to support the facilities of the R/V Western Flyer Research vessel at the Florida Marine Institute, a custom-designed vessel that serves as a sailing classroom. The vessels deploy remotely operated vehicles to carry out science missions throughout the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean and North Atlantic, and have the ability to explore depths up to 4,000 meters.
A USF spokesperson said the university is still assessing the situation but has not affected the operation of R/V Western Flyer. The second grant, cited by Doge as ending March 24th, is worth $2.29 million and was awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It was designated to “enhance prevention of medical infections, control and improve patient safety in the US.” Despite these cuts, USF recently received new federal funds. The USF Institute of Applied Engineering is awarded $2 million a year for the next four years to work with the US Special Operations Command to expand brain injury research. Tampa Bay Area research institutes are preparing for the impact of these federal government-imposed budget cuts. For the past decade, Tampa Bay institutions have secured more than $1.54 billion in grants from the National Institutes of Health.
According to USaspending.gov, the Tampa Bay Area receives more than $66 billion in federal funding across various government sectors, Hillsboro County is the region’s most at risk.
