A major Australian university has been the first to lose funding as institutions around the country are quizzed on their views and connections.
An Australian university that publicly backed student encampments and faced scrutiny over its handling of anti-Semitism has reportedly become one of the first institutions to lose U.S. research funding.
The Australian National University (ANU) is among the institutions affected, though the precise reasons for the funding cuts remain unclear.
The loss comes amid increasing scrutiny from the U.S., which has begun sending questionnaires to Australian universities and researchers about their stance on political and social issues as part of its funding decisions.
According to estimates from the Australian Academy of Science, the U.S. contributed $386 million (US$243 million) to the nation’s academic research in 2024—making it Australia’s biggest research partner.
The Trump administration, since coming to power this year, has worked to crack down on pro-Palestine protests and encampments at universities in the U.S.
ANU has publicly supported student activism, including encampments on its campus, and was questioned at a federal parliamentary inquiry last year over allegations that students had performed Nazi salutes and Hitler moustache gestures during an online meeting.
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ANU Vice-Chancellor Genevieve Bell said a university investigation found these events only looked like offensive gestures on a “superficial” level.
“It was not in fact found that there had been a Nazi salute or a Hitler moustache,” Bell said in the wake of an ANU investigation.
The explanation had been queried by politicians in the inquiry, including Jewish Labor MP Josh Burns who asked what else the gesture could have been if not a Nazi salute.
According to the ABC, the ANU was subject to 10 official complaints of anti-Semitism by staff and students in 2024.
ANU was contacted for comment.
Students barricade the Gaza Solidarity encampment on the campus of the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, Australia, on May 27, 2024. AAP Image/Mick Tsikas
Questions Being Asked
The U.S. has reportedly been asking universities and researchers 36 questions, including whether the educational institutions had also received funding from countries such as Russia, China, Cuba, or Iran.
Other questions covered topics such as Christian persecution and protecting women against gender ideology.
Australian university leaders have expressed “widespread alarm” over America’s vigilance on funding, warning that long-term research projects could be at risk.
“That (Australian universities’) research is so important to helping Australia, America, and the world deal with … challenges that we will face over the coming decades,” said National Tertiary Education Union national president Alison Barnes.
“We are looking at research into vaccines being potentially adversely impacted that affects our ability to respond to future pandemics.
“I think people are very disturbed and troubled by this move.”
Group of Eight, which represents the biggest research facilities and collects around 70 percent of total U.S. academic funding to Australia, has opposed the move by the U.S.
“At the moment it is relatively small projects that have been targeted,” CEO Vicki Thomson said.
However, Thomson was critical of the system of asking questions and has called on the federal government to intervene.
“Some of these research projects are two, three, four years in,” she said.
“Now we are getting these questions which go beyond the traditional scope… using terms like ‘anti-American beliefs’ and ’policies contrary to American interest.’”
Education Minister Jason Clare was contacted for comment.
