Dear colleagues, 

Earlier this afternoon, the Office of Management and Budget’s memo (M-25-13), that called for a blanket temporary pause of federal agency grants, was rescinded. This does not rescind any other memo or executive order, so agencies will still be reviewing existing grants for compliance with other EOs. 

Additionally, any previously announced agency communication pauses are still in place.

As has been the case for the past week, please continue to conduct your research and to charge expenses to your projects in a prudent manner and according to sponsor-approved budgets. Additionally, do not postpone your plans to submit your grant proposals on time; continue to submit them as planned and by the posted due dates.

We will continue to utilize and update the federal funding updates website as additional information becomes available. 

I am grateful for your patience as we continue to navigate this extremely fluid situation together. 

Best,

Sriram

Dear colleagues,

The OVPRI is aware of yesterday’s memo from the Office of Management and Budget (M-25-13), which will impact federal agencies today, Jan. 28, at 5 p.m. As are research universities around the country, VCU is examining the implications of this pause. 

Currently, there are no changes to the operations of existing grants and funding - please continue to work and charge expenses to your projects in a prudent manner and according to sponsor-approved budgets. Additionally, do not postpone your plans to submit your grant proposals on time; continue to submit them as planned and by the posted due dates. All federal grant submission systems are currently operational and are expected to remain that way.

If you receive a stop work or termination notification concerning existing grants or general information about an operational change from a federal agency, please immediately forward them to your sponsored program team in the OVPRI (find your team here). As soon as possible, we will provide additional guidance. In the meantime, should there be any material changes, you will receive additional communication. More frequent updates and additional resources will continue to be posted on our federal funding updates webpage.

Thank you,

Sriram

Dear colleagues, 

Since my communication last week, there have been additional questions regarding the current federal agency communications freeze. I’m writing to provide some clarification and guidance.

It is anticipated that the pause at federal agencies is temporary with additional guidance expected by Feb. 1. However, it is important that we are able to continue to gather the most important and up-to-date information as possible. 

With that in mind, please consider the following two points: 

• Unless you are otherwise notified by federal agencies or the OVPRI, do not postpone your plans to submit your grant proposals on time - i.e., continue to submit them as planned and by the posted due dates. All federal systems are currently operational and are expected to remain that way.
• If you receive any stop work order or termination notifications concerning existing grants or general information about a change in operational status from a federal agency, please immediately forward them to your sponsored program team in the OVPRI (find your team here). This will allow us to better understand any individual situations and/or the current operations of each federal agency. 

We are staying in close and frequent touch with our senior research officers and federal government relations representatives both with Virginia’s research universities and across the country, and with associations such as the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, in order to track changes as they develop. 

Should there be any material changes, you will receive an additional communication from me or one of my colleagues. More frequent updates and additional resources will continue to be posted on our federal funding updates webpage. 

Thank you for your cooperation and patience as we continue to monitor this situation. 

Sriram

Dear colleagues,

As you know, VCU is a nationally prominent public research university with a significant number of federally funded projects. Yesterday, several federal research agencies announced that all or partial operations are under review by the new administration. While reviews are consistent with a change in administration, we are closely monitoring the evolving situation around federal research projects to understand what impact these changes may have on our researchers, students and the communities we serve. The university will continue to adhere to the laws, policies and processes outlined by federal agencies.

Along with other research universities around the country, VCU is also seeking clarity about what comes next. We will communicate new information when we have it and update the OVPRI website with the latest information when available.

In the meantime, should you have any questions or require any assistance in speaking with or responding to communications from program officers, please do not hesitate to contact your representatives within the OVPRI.

Thank you for all that you do to make VCU a special place.

Sriram

COGR is the national authority on federal policies and regulations affecting U.S. research institutions. The organization's mission is to empower an unparalleled U.S. academic research ecosystem by advancing sound federal policies and regulations that are vital to U.S. science and innovation leadership and our nation’s health, security, and prosperity.

COGR has compiled an extensive listing of resources relating to the current administration transition.

Click here to view updated information and resources.

Shortly after his inauguration, President Trump signed 26 executive orders (EOs) on his first day in office, setting the record for the most day one executive orders since President Roosevelt in 1937.

His day one actions include a lengthy list of recissions (detailed below), establishment of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), action on immigration, and a commitment to reinstate TikTok. President Trump also took initial steps of significant impact to the federal workforce, enacting a federal hiring freeze, regulatory freeze, and return to office mandate with allowances for exceptions.

A breakdown of other EOs with relevance to institutions of higher education is below. APLU included the actions with unique impacts to institutions higher education, rather than all actions with potential impact. At this time, the exact impact of many EOs on higher education remains unclear, and their specific effects will depend on how implementing agencies interpret and enforce them.

Click here to read the full memo.