Scientists and stakeholders overwhelmingly oppose White House grantmaking overhaul, analysis finds

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, working with STAT, examined a flood of public comments on a White House proposal to revamp the federal "Uniform Guidance" that governs contracts and grants.

The analysis, which used a large language model to sort comments as supportive or opposed, found that roughly 95 % of the 496,769 comments were against the changes, while only about 1 % expressed support. Of the comments posted in full (52,322), the opposition was overwhelming.

Around 60 % of the dissenting comments cited worries that the new rules could increase political control over grant funding. The proposal would represent a fundamental shift in how federal research money is allocated.