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The University of Central Florida laid off 57 employees at a renewable energy research center in Brevard County last week after the Trump administration cut federal grants that helped support it.

The state’s largest public university also recently laid off six people in its technology department and two at the UCF Arboretum, though those were not tied to the loss of federal funding.

After the cuts, the Florida Solar Energy Center, established in 1975 to advance research, development and education in solar energy, has just seven employees, said Courtney Gilmartin, a spokesperson for UCF.

The university laid off employees because of “shifting federal priorities and external funding for traditional energy programs declining sharply,” which ma

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