Harvard University is squaring off against the Trump administration in a high-stakes legal battle that opened Monday in a Boston federal courtroom. At issue is the White House’s decision to freeze $2.4 billion in federal research funding—money that supports nearly 1,000 scientific projects at one of the world’s leading academic institutions.

Harvard University urged a federal judge on Monday to order U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to restore about $2.5 billion in canceled federal grants and cease efforts to cut off research funding to the prestigious Ivy League school.

The administration is investigating if Harvard is abiding by regulations when it sponsors visas in the Exchange Visitor Prorgramme