Federal research funding is under stress on two fronts: domestic cancellations and international competition. A JAMA Internal Medicine analysis found cuts to NIH grants disrupted more than 380 clinical trials and tens of thousands of participants this year, raising concerns about participant safety, data integrity and wasted investments in cancer and infectious-disease research. At the same time, research policy analysts warn China may already be outspending the U.S. on R&D as federal funding priorities shift, according to a research advocacy brief. Universities that depend on federal grants face uneven pipelines for graduate researchers and project continuity as agencies trim or reallocate awards. Higher-education research leaders must prioritize contingency planning: protect ongoing human-subject work, accelerate contingency funding for trials, and redouble international collaboration and fundraising to offset federal volatility. Faculty and research administrators should also prepare governance briefings describing institutional risk and mitigation strategies to governing boards.