FROM THE NEST | SUMMER 2025 | 3 The university would have to scale back its research activity, and there would be a reduction in the number of people being trained in critical areas of science and technology. What research topics have been impacted by federal grant cancellations so far? At Lehigh, funding that has been impacted includes grants supporting work on preparation for and recovery from extreme flooding events and computational modeling of drugs to more effectively treat diseases, among others. How can members of the Lehigh community and beyond support the work of research universities like Lehigh? It is important that the broad public appreciates the impact of the work that’s happening at research universities like Lehigh. Everyone in the Lehigh community should be talking about these impacts with friends, colleagues and elected officials such as your members of Congress. People can also give to fund a particular research project or to support a student or faculty member whose funding was canceled. Lehigh has a long history of engaging in research that changes lives, shapes industries and matters to people in our world. While less affected than some universities, recent federal actions have resulted in cancellations of millions of dollars in research grants that were awarded to Lehigh faculty, and significant research funding is likely to be cut from next year’s federal budget. Nathan Urban, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, discusses the importance of research at Lehigh, the impacts of policy changes at the federal level and ways the Lehigh community can support research. Lehigh was recently designated an R1 research university by the Carnegie Classification, putting it among the most research-active universities in the country. What does this indicate in terms of Lehigh’s growth in research activity? It is a reflection of the level of research activity and quality of research that’s happening at Lehigh, as well as our commitment to training Ph.D. students who will be the next generation of researchers and innovators in our country. We have significantly grown our research, specifically our research funding. Over the last five years, we’ve had about a 60% increase in federal support for research at Lehigh. If we didn’t have that increase, we would not have been designated R1. How does Lehigh’s research activity enhance the educational environment for students and positively impact the Lehigh Valley and the world? The ability to understand how new knowledge is created and be a participant in that discovery and innovation process is an opportunity that students only have when they’re at a research university like Lehigh. Given that we are in an innovation and knowledge-based economy, Lehigh students benefit long term from learning in this kind of environment. Regionally, Lehigh’s economic impact on the Lehigh Valley exceeds $1 billion through employee salaries, direct expenditures for research and development, and expenditures of companies that have emerged from the university and those that have been supported by Ben Franklin Technology Ventures. Lehigh has some of the world’s experts working to address critical needs and challenges in society. Through our University Research Centers, Lehigh faculty are developing solutions to ensure the resiliency of communities in the face of extreme weather events, understanding how we will meet the electricity demands of data centers and developing technologies to improve the lives of people with disabilities. How do recent actions by the federal government threaten the partnership between research universities and the government, and why is this harmful to Lehigh’s innovative ecosystem? The long-standing partnership between research universities and the federal government has been critical to creating the innovation and talent needed to drive the economy of this country. It’s a big reason why the U.S. has been the globally dominant source of innovation in areas like AI, quantum computing, biotechnology and drug discovery. For Lehigh, much of our research is only possible because of this partnership. If support for research from the federal government, which is about $50 billion a year across all of higher education, decreases significantly or is eliminated, it would be devastating to research universities and to our country. There is no way [Lehigh] can make up the full shortfall if the federal government substantially reduces research expenditures and research grant funding to universities. RESEARCH Reflecting on the Critical Role of Research at Lehigh Provost Nathan Urban shares insight into the future of research at Lehigh in regard to recent federal actions. Nathan Urban STUART BRADFORD
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