Cape Town — U.S. President Donald Trump signed a new executive order that changes how the U.S. government awards research grants and foreign monetary assistance on August 7, 2025. The order is called Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking, and while the government says this will stop waste and ensure tax money is used properly, profoundly impact international research collaboration, particularly affecting African researchers, institutions, and communities.
The Executive Order’s Core Changes
The executive order establishes key mechanisms:
1. Political Control: Trump’s appointed officials must now approve all new grant announcements and awards
2. Content Restrictions: Grants cannot support work on racial equality programs, gender studies, immigration support, or anything seen as “anti-American”
3. Easy Cancellation: The government can now cancel grants anytime “for convenience” if they no longer advance agency priorities or the “national interest”
4. New Priorities: Preference goes to organizations that cost less to run and haven’t received many grants before
How This Affects African Researchers
Reduced Access to U.S. Federal Funding
African researchers have long received important funding from U.S. government agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), and USAID. This money has helped with:
Health Research: Studies on diseases like malaria, HIV, and maternal health
Climate Research: Work on farming, weather changes, and environmental protection
Social Studies: Research on government, economics, and society
Training Programs: Building up African universities and research centers
The new political approval process adds more steps that could delay or stop funding for work with African partners. The focus on “American interests” might mean less support for research that mainly helps African communities.
Health and Development Programs at Risk
Many U.S.-funded health programs in Africa work to reduce health gaps between rich and poor, lower deaths during childbirth, and prevent diseases. The new rules against “racial preferences” or equality programs could affect these projects, even though they help save lives.
Programs that try to fix unfair systems or historical problems might face review, which could limit funding for:
- Health programs for poor communities
- Education projects for marginalized groups
- Research on barriers to development
Research Collaboration Concerns
The order’s emphasis on “Gold Standard Science” and reproducibility, while scientifically sound in principle, may disadvantage African institutions that lack the infrastructure for certain types of research documentation or data management systems common in well-funded Western institutions. This could create a two-tiered system where African researchers struggle to meet administrative requirements that may not account for resource constraints.
Uncertainty About Ongoing Projects
The new cancellation rules create worry for current projects. African institutions and researchers working on multiyear studies or development programs might suddenly lose funding if political appointees decide their work no longer serves U.S. interests.
This uncertainty could:
- Make long-term planning impossible
- Make African institutions less attractive to other funders
- Disrupt important research projects that help communities
- Bigger Problems with Academic Freedom
Politicians Interfering with Science
While the order says it still allows expert review of research proposals, it makes clear that political appointees have the final say. This is very different from how scientific funding usually works, where expert scientists decide which research is best.
For African researchers, this means that even excellent research proposals might be rejected for political reasons, hurting the fair system that has traditionally guided international scientific cooperation.
Stopping Important Research
The restrictions on research that might be seen as “anti-American” could discourage important studies on:
History of colonialism and its effects today
Critical looks at international development policies
Research on racial and ethnic health differences
Studies of why people migrate and immigration patterns
This could seriously limit African researchers’ ability to study topics that are central to understanding African societies and their challenges.
Economic Effects
Building Research Capacity
Many African universities have grown stronger through partnerships with U.S.funded programs. The preference for organizations with lower costs might help some smaller African institutions, but could hurt those that have invested in research infrastructure expecting continued U.S. partnership.
Brain Drain Getting Worse
Fewer U.S. funding opportunities could speed up the loss of talented researchers from Africa, as they look for opportunities in countries with more stable and less politically controlled funding. This could waste decades of investment in African research capacity.
Looking for Other Funding
The restrictions may push African researchers toward other funding sources, including:
European research programs (Horizon Europe, national programs)
Chinese research partnerships
Private foundations (Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust)
Cooperation between developing countries
While having different funding sources can be good, the sudden change could disrupt established research networks and partnerships.
Possible Benefits
Despite major concerns, some parts of the order could help African researchers:
1. Simpler Applications: The requirement for plain language in funding announcements could make applications easier for nonnative English speakers and institutions with limited grantwriting help.
2. More Opportunities: The emphasis on funding more different recipients rather than the same organizations could create opportunities for African institutions previously left out of U.S. funding networks.
3. Focus on Results: The emphasis on measurable outcomes could benefit practical, communityfocused research projects.
What Can Be Done
For African Researchers and Institutions
1. Find Different Funding Sources: Reduce dependence on U.S. government grants by actively seeking European, international, and private foundation funding.
2. Frame Research Carefully: When applying for U.S. funding, emphasize benefits for both countries, scientific merit, and alignment with widely shared values of human health and development.
3. Strengthen Regional Partnerships: Invest in research partnerships between African countries and regional research networks that don’t depend on Northern funding.
4. Improve Administration: Develop systems for clearly documenting research impact and community benefits to meet potential new reporting requirements.
For the International Research Community
1. Alternative Funding: European and other funders should consider expanding programs specifically designed to support highquality African research that may no longer receive U.S. support.
2. Speak Up: International scientific organizations should advocate for keeping merit-based, expert-reviewed funding processes.
3. Keep Records: Carefully document how these changes affect global research cooperation and scientific progress.
Trump’s executive order represents a major shift in how the U.S. approaches international research cooperation and foreign aid. While supposedly aimed at improving accountability and eliminating waste, the order brings political considerations into what has traditionally been a merit-based, scientifically driven process.
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For African researchers and institutions, the implications are largely negative. The combination of increased political oversight, ideological restrictions, and termination powers creates an environment of uncertainty that could significantly reduce opportunities for international collaboration and funding. The potential chilling effect on critical research and the politicization of scientific funding represent serious threats to academic freedom and scientific progress.
However, this challenge also presents an opportunity for the global research community to diversify funding mechanisms, strengthen South-South collaboration, and develop more resilient international research networks. The ultimate impact will depend largely on how other funders respond and whether African institutions can successfully adapt to this new landscape.
This challenge also creates an opportunity for the global research community to diversify funding sources, strengthen cooperation between developing countries, and develop stronger international research networks. The final impact will depend largely on how other funders respond and whether African institutions can successfully adapt to this new situation.
The scientific community, policymakers, and civil society organizations must closely monitor how this order is implemented and its effects on global research cooperation. What’s at stake is not only individual research projects but the broader principles of scientific independence, international cooperation, and evidence-based policymaking that have been crucial to addressing global challenges from health pandemics to climate change.
As this policy develops, it will be essential to document its effects carefully and advocate for approaches to research funding that maintain scientific integrity while ensuring that research serves the common good of all people, not just narrow national interests.
