Terence Tao has "come back to life." The mathematical temple IPAM has narrowly extended its lifespan by five years, but the funding is pitifully scarce.

The "research funds" for the math genius have finally arrived! Terence Tao revealed that IPAM has secured research funding for the next five years, successfully extending its operation, but the funding has been significantly reduced, and an additional sum is still needed for normal operation.

The Fields Medalist has finally obtained the funding!

On the 3rd, Terence Tao excitedly announced that starting from 2025, IPAM has received a five - year grant from the "National Science Foundation" (NSF) of the United States.

This means that IPAM, the top - tier mathematics sanctuary, has officially "extended its life" successfully and at least won't have to shut down.

In the previous few months, the funding was once interrupted, and IPAM has been "holding on" with donations and emergency funds.

In the post, Terence Tao changed the topic:

As expected, this grant has been significantly reduced compared to the previous "five - year cycle"!

Now, further fundraising is needed for normal operation.

However, at least there is now a "minimum survival guarantee" to maintain the basic research operations.

Since the US government imposed sanctions, Terence Tao has posted multiple messages appealing, and even put the donation link in the most prominent position of his post.

This shows the seriousness of the situation.

Fortunately, IPAM has finally survived, and the math genius can continue his scientific research...

IPAM Finally Gets 5 - Year "Life - Saving Money"

For those in the circle, IPAM is the most authoritative and influential "research sanctuary".

Established in 2000, countless great minds have sparked research inspirations here that led to winning the Fields Medal and the Abel Prize.

As one of the six research institutes funded by the NSF, IPAM integrates and innovates through unique interdisciplinary projects. It has spawned the breakthrough technology of "compressed sensing" and provided a growth platform for young mathematicians.

In the past few months, not only IPAM but the entire US scientific research system has suffered a "massacre".

The research project funds in multiple fields have been directly cut, including significant reductions in university scholarships and research grants.

After months of dormancy, IPAM has finally obtained funding from 2025 - 2030, barely extending its life.

The official statement said -

With this investment, IPAM will continue to promote innovation and development in the fields of mathematics and its applications.

Our mission is to create new scientific research communities, promote interdisciplinary cooperation, and help mathematicians and scientists start their careers, and these goals are highly consistent with the NSF's Mathematical Sciences Research Institute program and the country's development priorities.

Of course, as Terence Tao said, this funding is still far from enough for "normal operation".

IPAM's donation campaign is still ongoing, and it hopes to receive support from the industry.

Terence Tao Is Angry

As early as February this year, Terence Tao initiated an open joint letter regarding the proposal to cut scientific research funds, calling on everyone to sign it.

At that time, some universities, such as the University of Pennsylvania, had to withdraw the offers they had sent to postgraduate students due to the funding cuts.

In the academic circle, many research projects were forced to stop, and a large number of personnel left.

The Turing giant LeCun directly issued a warning: Trump's move may completely destroy the US public research funding system.

Before long, a large number of American scientists will leave the country.

In May this year, the latest statistics from the WSJ showed that the NSF cut the basic scientific research funds by 50%, and the budget for next year will be roughly the same.

Unexpectedly, in August, the ax fell on the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Terence Tao posted multiple messages, gravely stating that "his personal funding was cut off, and in order to ensure the support for postgraduate students, he even postponed receiving his summer salary".

Worst of all, the basic expenses of the research team could no longer be covered. The IPAM funding could only last for a few months.

Then, on the Home of The Brave platform, Terence Tao wrote a long article, shouting out his greatest anger -

I'm a mathematician who has won awards, and Trump has just cut my research funding!

For more than seventy years, the United States has maintained its leading position as a superpower in STEM, attracting many talented people from around the world.

However, within just six months, the United States has launched a full - scale attack on its scientific infrastructure.

Terence Tao said, "I'm not saying this as an uninvolved bystander -

but because my entire career has been shaped within this ecosystem."

"Sesame Street" taught me to count;

Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" inspired my fascination with the world;

And the data published by the American Mathematical Society deepened my love for mathematics.

Then, Terence Tao graduated from Australia, went to Princeton for postgraduate studies with a Fulbright fellowship, and then did his post - doctoral research at UCLA. He has been teaching, guiding students, and conducting research here for 25 years.

He warned the US government that such actions would backfire and weaken the United States' dominant position in the scientific field.

As one of the most influential scholars in the mathematical community, Terence Tao began to appeal for basic survival and personally raised funds online.

This itself shows the seriousness of the problem.

In his latest post, he used the most restrained language -

At least now, the minimum - level activities of IPAM can be guaranteed, which was completely uncertain a few months ago.

It can be said that IPAM has survived, but it's not an easy survival.

References

https://mathstodon.xyz/@tao/115647410588824674

This article is from the WeChat official account "New Intelligence Yuan", author: Taozi. Republished by 36Kr with authorization.