PHOTO COURTESY OF NIH Iowa State University and the University of Iowa both saw a decrease in research support from the federal government in fiscal year 2026.

Federal support for research at Iowa’s public universities fell in fiscal year 2026, according to numbers released by the institutions Thursday, showing impacts from federal grant cancellations and other actions.

Iowa State University announced in a news release it raised $487.9 million from external funding in fiscal year 2026, $254.6 million of which was dedicated to research in areas of agricultural technology, women’s health, semiconductors and more.

Federal funding contributed $167.1 million to research, dropping 30.4% from fiscal year 2025, the release stated. Research funding in general decreased by 22.8% in fiscal year 2026, and total external funding dropped by 11.2%.

“This has been a period of disruption and uncertainty for most, if not all, land-grant and R1 research universities across the country,” said Peter Dorhout, ISU vice president for research, in the release. “At Iowa State, we don’t shrink from the moment. Our research enterprise is sustained by our faculty and staff who tackle these challenges head-on with perseverance, resilience and resourcefulness.”

When external funding numbers were released in July 2025, ISU announced it saw record funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, National Science Foundation and Department of Transportation, and ISU leaders said at the time they were unsure as to how changing federal priorities toward research, staffing changes and more would impact their funding.

Despite the decreases in federal research funding, Dan Kirkpatrick, strategic communications manager for the Office of Vice President for Research at ISU, wrote in a university article that non-federal funding remained generally steady and industry and corporate donations rose by more than $10 million.

ISU researchers submitted 1,999 new research proposals in fiscal year 2026, Kirkpatrick wrote, more than the last five years of proposals.

At the University of Iowa, the federal government provided $295.8 million for research in areas of health, engineering, education, arts and humanities in fiscal year 2026, according to a news release. While still the largest source of research funding, the federal government in fiscal year 2025 topped $300 million.

UI external funding in fiscal year 2026 totaled $771.7 million, with $536 million going to research, scholarship and “creative activities” in more than 2,100 projects, the release stated.

One area where the UI was hit hard for research funding was in grants from the National Institutes of Health, which reduced funding for projects on vaccine messaging, cochlear implants, Alzheimer’s and access to research careers. Diversity supplements for certain grants were canceled, and in December a settlement agreement was made in Massachusetts federal court to have the National Institutes of Health consider grants made before the end of September without looking specifically at DEI.

“Research changes lives,” says David Schwebel, UI vice president for research, in the release. “Whether we’re developing new therapies for devastating diseases, helping children reach their full potential, or addressing challenges facing rural communities, our faculty are committed to solving problems that matter. External funding allows them to translate ideas into discoveries that improve the health and well-being of people in Iowa and around the world.”