David Conover, the UO’s vice president for research and innovation, offered a message to the UO research community on proposed deep cuts to federal science funding in President Donald Trump’s 2018 budget proposal, which was revealed Thursday.

Conover, the UO’s chief research officer, outlined some of the proposed cuts, including the plan to reduce the National Institutes of Health budget by $5.8 billion, or 18 percent, and the U.S. Department of Education budget by $9.2 billion, or 14 percent.

“The proposal is thin on details but calls for unprecedented funding reductions for numerous federal agencies, including those that our university depends on to support research,” Conover said.

In his message, Conover urged calm, reminding the research community that the budget unveiling is the first step in what is likely to be a very long negotiation with Congress. He said bipartisan congressional support for research and development funding remains strong.

“The senior leadership of the UO remains steadfast in our conviction that research excellence is a core mission of this university,” Conover said. “We will be relentless in our efforts to remind our elected officials that federal investment in research is crucial to the economic growth and prosperity of the U.S.”

The full message is posted on the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation website.