Stockholm, Sweden: Nobel Prize officials have issued a stark warning that Donald Trump’s sweeping cuts to U.S. scientific funding and academic freedoms could undermine the nation’s decades-long position as the world’s leading research hub—and cause ripple effects across global innovation.
Since taking office, President Trump has slashed billions of dollars from research budgets, curtailed university freedoms, and overseen mass layoffs of federal scientists, sparking alarm in the international scientific community.
Despite the United States remaining home to the largest number of Nobel science laureates in history, officials at Sweden’s Royal Academies say that reputation is now at risk.
“In the post-war period, the U.S. has taken over Germany’s role as the world’s leading scientific nation. When they now start cutting research funding, it threatens the country’s position,” warned Hans Ellegren, secretary general of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awards Nobel Prizes in physics, chemistry, and economics.
NIH Cuts, Research in Peril
According to Grant Watch, an independent database, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have already terminated 2,100 research grants worth $9.5 billion and $2.6 billion in contracts this year. Canceled projects include studies on Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, gender, and the health effects of climate change.
Though some funding may be restored, scientists warn that the damage could be long-lasting. “It doesn’t take very many years of large cutbacks to cause irreversible harm,” said Thomas Perlmann, secretary general of the Nobel committee for medicine.
Fields facing particular political resistance include vaccines, climate science, and diversity programs, all of which have been targeted by the Trump administration.
Global Ripple Effects and the Rise of China
Experts fear the cuts may fuel a “brain drain”, pushing U.S. scientists abroad while deterring younger generations from pursuing careers in research. “There is a risk that a whole generation of young researchers will be lost,” Ellegren warned.
International cooperation is also at stake. The NIH finances numerous global collaborations, many of which have already been hindered. Ellegren cautioned:
“Any nationalist or chauvinistically inclined regulation of academic activity hampers the global exchange of ideas and data. Research is by nature global.”
Meanwhile, countries such as China are aggressively ramping up investment in science. “The big global trend right now is that research in China is on the rise. They are investing unbelievable resources,” Ellegren noted, adding that U.S. retreat could give China and others an opportunity to leapfrog America’s innovation edge.
A Threat to U.S. Legacy
Calling the United States “the very engine” of global research, Perlmann stressed that Trump’s policies could ultimately benefit America’s competitors.
“You would hope that Trump doesn’t want to give a walkover to China and other countries keen to take over the leader’s jersey,” he said.
Ellegren said if he had the chance to address Trump directly, his message would be clear:
“One of the reasons your country has been so successful is that researchers have been able to seek new knowledge and have good resources. The United States has invested a lot in research in the post-war period, both privately and federally. That is what has helped your country build its prosperity.”
As the 2025 Nobel Prizes are set to be announced in Stockholm and Oslo, chances remain high that American researchers will again win some of the world’s most prestigious awards. But without renewed investment and protection of academic freedoms, Nobel officials warn, the U.S. may soon see its scientific leadership slip away.
Nobel Officials Warn Trump’s Cuts To Science Funding Could Erode U.S. Global Leadership
