Updates on Federal Actions Related to Research

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, August 5, 2026.

Summary

• The U.S. Senate’s government funding bill includes a block on implementation of the Administration’s proposed overhaul of OMB’s Uniform Guidance (2 CFR Part 200) through December 11.
• A U.S. district judge has ruled that grants cannot be terminated because priorities have changed from one administration to the next.
• For your awareness: The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy released a memo about its vision for research funding.
• Universities are urged to accept and publicize their participation in the “Campus Compact,” which was initially sent to eight universities last year.
• Request for Information related to measuring scientific impact now open through the National Institutes of Health.
• Mark your calendars for the next open forum for research: September 23, 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. via Zoom.

Dear research community,

To begin with positive news, Politico is reporting that the U.S. Senate has released text for a stopgap funding bill to prevent a government shutdown October 1. That bipartisan bill includes funding federal agencies through December 11 at current levels and would block implementation of the proposed overhaul of OMB’s Uniform Guidance through that date.Additionally, a U.S. district judge ruled in mid-July that agencies cannot terminate existing grants based on the logic that they “no longer effectuate agency priorities” in the 23 states, of which Oregon is one, that sued the federal government over its mass cancellation of grants last year.

“Science: A New Golden Age” and the Campus Compact 2.0

Last week, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released the memo, “Science: A New Golden Age,” which has proposed notable changes in how the federal government supports research, including further reductions in university research funding. The American Institute of Physics provides an initial analysis of the memo. We will continue to monitor this situation as it develops.

In October last year, eight major research universities were asked to sign a “Campus Compact” that would require them to commit to a wide-ranging list of requirements related to increasing the transparency of admissions and hiring practices, fostering “viewpoint diversity,” and capping international student enrollment.

On Monday, August 3, a memo from the U.S. Department of Education was sent to universities around the country asking them to commit to and publicize the principles of the memo. A key difference between this memo and the original compact, however, is that this document was developed in partnership with the Association of American Universities (AAU). The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU, of which the UO is a member) has issued a response, noting that American universities already deliver on the principles called out in the memo.

Measuring and Rewarding Scientific Impact

The National Institutes of Health have issued a Request for Information (RFI) pertaining to the measurement of scientific impact and its rewards, which it notes may be too heavily weighted toward publishing papers and not enough toward generating knowledge that positively impacts human health. Due to the broad nature of the RFI, the UO is not preparing a single institutional response. Faculty are welcome to submit comments based on their academic discipline if so inclined. Comments must be received by August 16, 2026.

Next Open Forum for Research is September 23

To conclude, please note that these semi-regular updates on federal actions related to research will continue once Bethany Jenkins assumes the role of vice president for research and innovation next week. Please mark your calendars for the next open forum for research: September 23, 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. via Zoom.