Judge allows Trump to cut more than $1bn in National Science Foundation grants

Court declined preliminary injunction in case brought by scientists seeking to halt purge of more than 1,600 grants

The Trump administration can go ahead and purge more than 1,600 research grants issued by National Science Foundation (NSF) worth more than $1bn, after a judge declined to grant a preliminary injunction in a case brought by a coalition of organizations representing thousands of scientists.

The NSF is the premier federal investor in basic and cutting-edge science and engineering, which until Trump's second term enjoyed bipartisan support, with the agency's independent review process revered globally as the gold standard.