Updates on Federal Actions Related to Research

This webpage is dynamic and updated frequently. Please check back often.

Last updated January 28, 2026.

 

Open Forum for Research

The next open forum for research will be on February 18 at 12:30 p.m. via Zoom. It will not be recorded. We plan to discuss federal updates related to national security in research, as well as provide continued updates on the federal environment and any further insights on the FAIR model for indirect costs if available

Guidelines for the Research Community

The Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation (OVPRI) continues to monitor the 2025 presidential administration transition. Below are some helpful guidelines.

  • Closely monitor obligated budget balances to avoid deficits while awaiting future obligations. Anticipated future funding remains subject to availability of funds and should not be considered guaranteed.
  • If you are waiting to hear back from a program officer, please be aware they may not be able to respond during the agency communications pause.
  • Ensure all technical reports and deliverables are submitted by their due dates and prioritize the submission of any that are past due.
  • Monitor policy updates: Keep an eye on announcements from the federal agency overseeing your grant for any updates on funding or compliance requirements.
  • Principal investigators are encouraged to ensure that they have access to and control over datasets.
  • Continue to submit proposals. Closely monitor the funding announcement to see if the proposal criteria changes.
  • OVPRI and the Office of General Counsel ask that you forward any communications from granting agencies relating to stop work orders, modifications to existing grants, requests for attestations, and spending justification requests.

OVPRI has adopted a process to appeal the termination of contracts and grants by federal agencies (requires DuckID to log in).

Additionally, the UO continues to monitor and communicate any immigration updates, and their potential impact to our international, Dreamer, and undocumented students, faculty, and staff.

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Recent Federal Actions

Past Federal Actions
Statements in Response to Federal Actions

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Resources for Researchers

Please note this page is dynamic, and information could be incomplete.

At this time, the Council on Government Relations (COGR) is providing the most complete guidance on how the executive orders could affect operations, including a summary of executive orders. COGR's mission is to empower an unparalleled US academic research ecosystem by advancing sound federal policies and regulations that are vital to US science and innovation leadership and our nation’s health, security, and prosperity. Request access to the COGR membership portal.

The Chronicle of Higher Education is tracking the actions of President Trump's administration that affect higher education. Chronicle of Higher Education's Trump's Agenda for Higher Ed Tracker (sign in with your DuckID to access Chronicle content)

The Chronicle is also tracking the development of an indirect costs (also known as facilities and administrative, or F&A) model. Read more about the Financial Accountability in Research (FAIR) model (requires UO VPN or account to access).

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has compiled a fiscal year (FY) 2026 research and development appropriations dashboard. It compares the White House, House, and Senate spending proposals for science and technology programs in FY 2026.

The Association of Public & Land-grant Universities (APLU) provides an overview of appropriations priorities annual requests and a summary of the FY26 President’s Budget Request.

APLU’s Office of Governmental produced a detailed analysis of FY26 funding levels for the association’s priority accounts spanning research, student aid, and other federal programs. 

APLU also maintains a tracker compiling F&A language across all FY26 appropriations bills. 

FAQs for Researchers

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Tracking Terminations and Appeals

  • Grant terminations received: 19, totaling $1.5 million
  • Change from previous week: 0
  • Relevant agencies: NEA, NEH, NSF, Department of Education, Department of Energy, Economic Development Administration
  • Active appeals: 0
  • Terminations lifted: 13 (NIH: 11; NSF: 1; Corporation for National Community Service: 1), totaling $6.4 million

These figures are current as of 1/28.

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Email Updates

The following message was sent to graduate students, tenure track and research faculty, department grant administrators, OVPRI centers and institutes, core facility staff, Government and Community Relations, Office of General Counsel, and OVPRI staff on Wednesday, January 28, 2026.

The federal “minibus” package that included the National Science Foundation, Department of the Interior, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology has been signed into law. You can review details on the AAAS FY26 R&D Appropriations Dashboard. Additional good news especially worth sharing: That funding package included a community-initiated (earmark) request for $3 million to support the UO’s Center for Advanced Materials Characterization in Oregon (CAMCOR), one of our research core facilities.

Many of these funding packages include “blocking” language that is intended to prevent the White House Office of Management and Budget from revising Uniform Guidance to implement an across-the-board 15% cap on indirect costs (also known as facilities and administrative, or F&A) to get around the constitutionally mandated congressional appropriations process.

Growing potential for a partial federal government shutdown

The US Senate passage of the minibus package intended to fund the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development has been complicated by the events occurring in Minneapolis. Democrats have indicated they want to pull funding for the Department of Homeland Security (of which Immigration and Customs Enforcement is the investigative arm) from the minibus to be separately debated, which could impede the bill’s passage ahead of the January 30 deadline to fund the government.

If funding for this minibus does not pass the Senate by 9 p.m. Pacific time on January 30, a partial federal shutdown will begin, primarily affecting the agencies in the package, which includes the National Institutes of Health and Institute of Education Sciences along with other programs. As before, OVPRI has created an informational webpage for researchers regarding the shutdown that will be updated frequently should a shutdown occur. If a shutdown appears increasingly likely, we will activate our shutdown guidance webpage and further communicate with the research community by this Friday, January 30.

Reminder: Forward All Attestation Requests to the Office of General Counsel and Sponsored Projects Services

Sponsored Projects Services and the Office of General Counsel (OGC) ask that you forward any communications from granting agencies relating to stop work orders, modifications to existing grants, requests for attestations, and spending justification requests. Be sure to carefully review all award contracts carefully and do not sign attestations without having first consulted with OGC.

Next Research Open Forum February 18

Our thanks to the many people who attended the Research Open Forum on January 22 and for their thoughtful questions about federal appropriations, planning for potential changes to indirect cost return models, and advocacy for research. 

The next open forum will be on February 18 at 12:30 p.m. via Zoom. It will not be recorded. We plan to discuss federal updates related to national security in research, as well as provide continued updates on the federal environment and any further insights on the FAIR model for indirect costs if available.

Finally, to end on a positive note, we were pleased to learn last week that the Trump administration has dropped its appeal of a federal court ruling that blocked a campaign against diversity, equity, and inclusion that threatened federal funding to schools and colleges with such programs.

Prior Emails

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