UW–Madison is particularly sensitive to changes in federal policy — especially federal policies that have to do with research in science, technology, and medicine. “We have a lot of grants with the different federal agencies,” says Craig Thompson ’91, vice chancellor for federal relations, “so we have to navigate our relationships with NSF and NIH and DOE and DOD and NASA.”
NSF is the National Science Foundation; NIH is the National Institutes of Health; DOE is the Department of Energy; DOD is the Department of Defense; and NASA is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. From those federal agencies and others, the UW receives about $1.7 billion in research funding, ranking sixth among American universities. The UW’s relationship with the federal government is very important, and that relationship is Thompson’s responsibility — a responsibility that has grown a great deal more difficult since the start of 2025. The Trump administration has announced a series of policy changesthat would affect research funding, financial aid, and recruitment of international students.
“We’re paying very close attention to the proposed changes to financial aid and the proposed changes with indirect [costs] for research across all the different agencies,” Thompson says. “We’re working at making sure that we can maintain some of those robust programs and find areas of growth that we can work in as well.”
On the UW Now Live on June 17, 2025, Thompson will join with political scientist Ken Goldstein and Mike Knetter of the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association to discuss how universities can respond to these proposed changes in government policy.
My Chief Area of Responsibility Is:
We are responsible for our federal relations program, for our state relations program (which is the state government), our community relations (our partners here in Dane County, both government and private sector), our tribal affairs outreach, and our office of business engagement (which is industry engagement).
Tonight on the UW Now Live I’ll Discuss:
I’m going to be very interested in hearing what Ken Goldstein has found in his latest research about public perceptions. But what I want to talk about is the level of uncertainty at the federal level and the things that are at stake in the budget process. I want to let people know the specific issues that we’re monitoring and things that they could help make an impact on our behalf.
If There’s One Thing Viewers Should Know, It’s:
Most of this is not set in stone. There’s a long way to go, and it’s going to be important that we all stay involved.
To Get Smart Fast, See:
- Our federal relations page
- The research website set up by the UW’s Office of Strategic Communications
