Changes in federal research funding priorities bring uncertainty to the University of Washington

The University of Washington is one of the nation’s leading research institutions. It’s struggling as the Trump administration reassesses how the federal government should spend millions of dollars in a variety of research areas.

SPR’s Doug Nadvornick talked about that change in priorities recently with UW Provost Tricia Serio. She was in Spokane last week to celebrate the opening of a new teaching space for its dental students.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

TRICIA SERIO: Typically when the nation faces challenges, research universities have answered that call. You can see Sputnik and other really major challenges that the country has faced. In fact, 80 years ago, this structure that we have now where research was placed in universities came about as a resu