Researchers warn federal grant cuts threaten nuclear energy progress at UMich

This April, the University of Michigan, along with other leading research institutions, filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Energy . The suit seeks to nullify a new policy that caps federal funding at 15% for indirect research costs incurred by universities. Loss of funding for indirect costs — money spent on maintaining facilities and administration — particularly impacts nuclear energy research labs, including those at the University, as they require state-of-the-art equipment with expensive upkeep.

In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Adam Burak, assistant research scientist in the Thermal Hydraulics Lab within the Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences department, said continuing research progress in nuclear energy is important because it is a promi