MIT, Brown University, other Ivies sue Energy Department over research funding cuts

A group of universities filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Department of Energy over the agency's cancelation of federal research grants to the schools.

The DOE last week announced it would shrink the funding of "indirect costs" of research grants to 15%, according to NBC News.

The plaintiffs argued that the move would "devastate scientific research at America’s universities."

Among the plaintiff schools were the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Brown University, Cornell University, and Princeton University.

"The pace of scientific discoveries in the national interest will be slowed," the lawsuit reads. "Progress on a safe and effective nuclear deterrent, novel energy sources, and cures for debilitating and life-threatening illness will be obstructed. America’s rivals will celebrate, even as science and industry in the United States suffer."

The DOE gives over $3.5 billion annually through grant programs to over 300 colleges to support research.