Universities are protesting the Trump administration’s plan to limit the overhead, also known as indirect costs, covered by federal research grants. They argue this change violates a long-standing post-World War II agreement, rooted in Vannevar Bush’s 1945 report “Science, The Endless Frontier.” That agreement was simple: The federal government would fund academic research in the public interest, with the expectation that discoveries would drive economic growth, improve public health, and strengthen national security.
This arrangement, however, assumed universities would prioritize the public interest. In reality, the system has morphed into a bloated, self-serving enterprise that funnels money into university coffers under the guise of advancing research.
Here’s how the system works: When faculty apply for federal research grants, they request funds for essential…
