MIT Professor Cancels Israeli Military Grant Following Student Protests
CAMBRIDGE, MA – An MIT professor has canceled a research grant funded by the Israeli military after sustained pressure from student activists protesting the ongoing conflict in Gaza, according to members of the MIT Coalition for Palestine. The cancellation marks a partial victory for students who have been calling on the university to disclose and sever ties with military-funded research.
The grant cancellation comes amid increasing scrutiny of MIT’s financial relationships with the Israeli military and a broader debate over academic freedom and institutional duty in the face of international conflict. Students have argued that research funding from the Israeli military contributes to violence in Palestine, while MIT administrators have defended the partnerships as vital to academic inquiry and national security.
MIT initially removed its “Brown Book,” which detailed its sponsored research, in July 2024, citing a need to align with federal requirements and “typical” disclosures, as reported by The tech, MIT’s student newspaper. According to MIT Coalition for Palestine member, Maya Halgren, the removal of the Brown Book and another grant database has created a lack of transparency regarding the university’s funding sources. “There are now no sources for MIT community members to see who funds our school’s research,” Halgren stated.
Students began protesting genocide in Gaza and calling for the university to drop Israeli military-funded research last spring. MIT President Sally Kornbluth responded in a July statement, characterizing criticisms of researchers working on these projects as “willful mischaracterizations,” and asserting that suggestions their work was designed for conflict were “untrue.”
Despite cutting ties with other countries over human rights concerns, MIT has maintained that it has “compelling reasons” not to sever ties with the Israeli military, as reported by The Intercept in January 2025.
“One contract is down, but we won’t stop until MIT announces a full research stoppage for the Israeli military,” Halgren said. “As a military science school, MIT students and staff have a unique responsibility to stand up to the U.S.-Israeli war machine and prevent more horrifying violence in Palestine.”