Latest news with #AMPHORA
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Did the Defense Dept. cancel a grant to Harvard, then pay it anyway?
A new court filing Tuesday shed some light on an unusual wrinkle in the U.S. government's fight with Harvard University. Harvard previously claimed the U.S. Department of Defense had terminated a $3.4 million grant for important research into biological threats, despite pleas from an official to maintain the grant for national security purposes — but then asked for work to continue and paid the grant anyway. A Defense Department official issued a court statement this week saying the grant — supporting research for the 'AMPHORA' program, which stands for Assured Microbial Preservation in Harsh or Remote Areas — wasn't canceled after all. That's even though it was included in a list of terminated Harvard grants released in May. Efstathia Fragogiannis is director of the contracts management office with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in the Department of Defense. Fragogiannis wrote that in the days following a May 12 letter to Harvard announcing the cancellation of that grant and many others, DARPA officials sought and received an exemption for the grant for reasons of national security. 'On May 21, 2025, May 22, 2025, and June 27, 2025, DARPA informed Harvard via email that the agreement remains active and that it should continue to perform work on the AMPHORA project,' Fragogiannis wrote. 'As such, Harvard has continued to perform work pursuant to that agreement, for which DARPA has paid, including the July 8, 2025, payment for work performed from May 1 to 31.' Harvard had claimed the request for continued work and the payment it received were evidence that 'reinforces' its court argument that 'the government's categorical terminations of research funding were arbitrary and capricious.' Harvard had said in a court filing they inquired with the federal government about whether the AMPHORA grant is in fact still active, but they haven't received a response. In a filing released Tuesday, the government argued that 'Harvard's grants were ultimately terminated because of Harvard's categorical refusal to respond to the Government's concerns' over antisemitism. A Harvard University spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The court filings come as part of an ongoing lawsuit in which Harvard disputes cancellation of billions of dollars of funding by the U.S. government. It's one of two lawsuits the university has against the Trump administration, the other relating to its ability to accept foreign students. More Harvard University news Trump admin invokes Civil Rights Act in argument for Harvard funding cuts Harvard extends hiring freeze, says Trump actions could cost school $1B a year Trump admin halted Harvard grant, but Defense Dept. still paid it, court docs say A reckoning: Trump's attacks are inspiring self-reflection in higher ed Read the original article on MassLive. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump admin halted Harvard grant, but Defense Dept. still paid it, court docs say
An unnamed Department of Defense official previously 'pleaded' with her superiors to keep paying Harvard University for a particular national security grant related to biological threats. And according to court documents, they have — despite the grant's termination. In a July 11 filing from one of its federal lawsuits against the Trump administration, Harvard informed the court it had received payment from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) — part of the Department of Defense — for the 'AMPHORA' program, which stands for Assured Microbial Preservation in Harsh or Remote Areas. With emerging infectious disease hotspots expected to increase globally within the next 50 years, the program seeks to develop a system without refrigeration 'that can preserve any microbe (bacteria, fungus, virus) from any sample, environment, or clinical setting, increasing the DoD's ability to surveil for emerging threats and protect force health and readiness,' according to the agency's website. Despite the grant being listed as terminated beginning May 12, DARPA has since asked Harvard's AMPHORA researchers to continue testing samples and to update on the project's progress, the court documents state. Then on July 8, the government paid Harvard approximately $373,000 on the AMPHORA grant for work conducted by its scientists May 1-31. Read more: Trump admin renews demand for Harvard foreign student info: 'We tried to do things the easy way' According to Harvard, the payment 'reinforces' its court argument that 'the government's categorical terminations of research funding were arbitrary and capricious.' 'This new evidence provides further support for Harvard's arguments,' Harvard wrote in its filing last week. Earlier court filings in Harvard's lawsuit disclosed that an unidentified Defense Department official had 'pleaded' with her superiors in the Pentagon not to cancel Harvard's AMPHORA grant because doing so could pose 'grave and immediate harm to national security.' The official said Harvard was the top-performing team in the AMPHORA program, which involves several teams from varying research institutions. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly directed the cancellation of the military grants, and the notification stated the AMPHORA grant 'no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities.' Harvard has inquired with the federal government about whether the AMPHORA grant is in fact still active, but they haven't received a response, they wrote. A spokesperson for the Department of Defense said the agency does not comment on ongoing litigation. More Harvard University news A reckoning: Trump's attacks are inspiring self-reflection in higher ed Harvard continues dismantling its DEI offices amid Trump attacks Trump admin renews demand for Harvard foreign student info: 'We tried to do things the easy way' Trump admin threatens Harvard's accreditation over antisemitism response Read the original article on MassLive. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Pentagon official: Cutting off Harvard project endangers national security
A Pentagon official begged her bosses not to cancel a Harvard University grant aimed at curtailing biological threats, arguing that pulling it would pose 'grave and immediate harm to national security.' The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) director of contracting said the grant funded a Harvard research team that had reached a 'pivotal juncture' in a project addressing the 'biological threat landscape,' according to Monday court filings in the university's lawsuit against the Trump administration, first reported by The Boston Globe. The official was unnamed in the filings. Harvard, which is suing the administration over roughly $2.5 billion in frozen funding, has declared the cuts to be illegal and haphazard and obtained government records to prove their case. In the filing, the lawyers detail the risk of cutting off funding to projects related to public health and national security concerns. In one instance, Harvard researchers were working on a military project known as the AMPHORA program, aimed at increasing awareness of emerging biological threats, when the Department of Defense (DOD) on May 12 informed the university it had terminated the grant funding the effort, according to a memorandum filed by Harvard's lawyers in federal court. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the cancellation of that military grant, as well as others, the filing notes. After learning the DOD grant was terminated by senior officials, the DARPA contracting official 'pleaded to save it, noting that Harvard was the 'critical' and 'top performing team' on the program, and that '[i]nadequate knowledge of the biological threat landscape poses grave and immediate harm to national security' and threatens military servicemember safety,' the memo states. 'The Government's thoughtless and retaliatory strategy meant that contracting officers and policy experts took a back seat in deciding whether to terminate grants that continued to benefit the public.' The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment from The Hill as to whether the Harvard grant for the AMPHORA program remains terminated. The White House has frozen the funding after Harvard would not acquiesce to demands such as changing its hiring and admissions process and eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. The Trump administration accuses the university of being 'deliberately indifferent' to antisemitic harassment on campus, favoring others over white people and men in its hiring and admissions processes and creating a culture intolerant of conservative viewpoints. Harvard's lawyers, meanwhile, say the administration has failed to acknowledge 'the dozens of steps Harvard has taken and committed to take to address antisemitism and bias.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
03-06-2025
- Health
- The Hill
Pentagon official: Cutting off Harvard project endangers national security
A Pentagon official begged her bosses not to cancel a Harvard University grant aimed at curtailing biological threats, arguing that pulling it would pose 'grave and immediate harm to national security.' The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) director of contracting said the grant funded a Harvard research team that had reached a 'pivotal juncture' in a project addressing the 'biological threat landscape,' according to Monday court filings in the university's lawsuit against the Trump administration, first reported by The Boston Globe. The official was unnamed in the filings. Harvard, which is suing the administration over roughly $2.5 billion in frozen funding, has declared the cuts to be illegal and haphazard and obtained government records to prove their case. In the filing, the lawyers detail the risk of cutting off funding to projects related to public health and national security concerns. In one instance, Harvard researchers were working on a military project known as the AMPHORA program, aimed at increasing awareness of emerging biological threats, when the Department of Defense (DOD) on May 12 informed the university it had terminated the grant funding the effort, according to a memorandum filed by Harvard's lawyers in federal court. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the cancellation of that military grant, as well as others, the filing notes. After learning the DOD grant was terminated by senior officials, the DARPA contracting official 'pleaded to save it, noting that Harvard was the 'critical' and 'top performing team' on the program, and that '[i]nadequate knowledge of the biological threat landscape poses grave and immediate harm to national security' and threatens military servicemember safety,' the memo states. 'The Government's thoughtless and retaliatory strategy meant that contracting officers and policy experts took a back seat in deciding whether to terminate grants that continued to benefit the public.' The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment from The Hill as to whether the Harvard grant for the AMPHORA program remains terminated. The White House has frozen the funding after Harvard would not acquiesce to demands such as changing its hiring and admissions process and eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. The Trump administration accuses the university of being 'deliberately indifferent' to antisemitic harassment on campus, favoring others over white people and men in its hiring and admissions processes and creating a culture intolerant of conservative viewpoints. Harvard's lawyers, meanwhile, say the administration has failed to acknowledge 'the dozens of steps Harvard has taken and committed to take to address antisemitism and bias.'
