Updates on Federal Executive Orders and Research Activities
This webpage is dynamic and updated frequently. Please check back often.
Last updated June 4, 2025
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.
Recent Federal Actions
- 37 NSF divisions to be cut across eight directorates (Science, 5/8/25)(Requires UO VPN to access)
- NSF announces 15% F&A rate cap effective May 5 (Updated 5/2/25)
- NSF announces grant funding freeze until further notice (Nature, 5/1/25)(Requires UO VPN to access)
- NIH issues guide notice on prohibiting foreign subawards (Updated 5/1/25)
- Summary of Executive Orders via the Council on Governmental Relations (COGR)
- Pending Lawsuits Related to the Freeze on Payments for Grants & Contracts (COGR)
- NSF Implementation of Recent Executive Orders (Updated 4/25/25)
- NIH Notice of Civil Rights Term and Condition of Award (Updated 4/18/25)
- Updates on NSF Priorities (Updated 4/18/25)
- NSF Halts Grant Awards While Staff Do Second Review (Science, 4/17/25)(Requires UO VPN to access)
- Temporary Restraining Order Against Proposed April 2025 Department of Energy Rate Cap (4/16/25)
- National Institutes of Health Implementation of New Initiatives and Policies (Updated 3/25/25)
- National Endowment for the Humanities (Updated 3/20/25)
- Memorandum and Order on Motion for Preliminary Injunction (03/05/25)
- Notice of Enforcement of Temporary Restraining Order (2/10/25)
- NIH eases freeze on grant reviews; meetings of study sections and closed portion of councils back on track (Science, 2/3/25)(Requires UO VPN to access)
- Notice of Temporary Restraining Order (2/3/25)
Statements in Response to Federal Actions
- AAU, APLU, COGR Sign Letter on Unnecessary Disruptions to Federally Supported Research (2/18/25)
- Statement of AAU President Barbara R. Snyder on Cuts to NIH Facilities and Administrative (F&A) Research Costs (2/7/25)
- APLU Statement on Cuts to Reimbursement of NIH Facilities & Administrative Costs (2/7/25)
- AAMC Statement on Drastic Cuts to NIH-Funded Research (2/8/25)
- APLU Statement on Pause on Federal Grants (1/28/25)
- Statement of AAU President Barbara Snyder on January 27 OMB Memo Pausing American Scientific Advancement (1/28/25)
Resources for Researchers
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.
Please note this page is dynamic and information could be incomplete.
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)
Email Updates
The OVPRI plans to send weekly email updates on Wednesdays.
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, June 4.
Federal awards are being issued again, proposed agency budgets published
Grant terminations: 29, totaling $6.53 million
Relevant agencies: NIH, NEA, NEH, and NSF
Active appeals: 23
Terminations lifted: 2 (NIH)
These figures are current as of 6/4.
We are pleased to share that we are now seeing new major awards being issued by the National Science Foundation (after months without any new notices of award), including a new research award from the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate and a prestigious CAREER award from the Biology Directorate.
The University of Oregon also provided information and declarations to the State of Oregon, which is part of a multi-state lawsuit against the National Science Foundation (NSF) to prevent the agency from terminating grants and reducing F&A. A coalition of 15 state attorneys general have asserted that capping indirect costs (also known as facilities and administrative costs, or F&A) at 15% and slashing funding for programs that broaden participation in STEM fields by groups who have been historically left out “violate the Administrative Procedure Act and the Constitution by unlawfully changing NSF policy and ignoring Congress’s intent for how NSF should function”.
Guidance for Principal Investigators
Given the flurry of changes at federal agencies, we strongly encourage principal investigators (PIs) to regularly check the status of targeted future solicitations prior to submission in case of last-minute solicitation cancellation or expiration, given the frequent changes in budgets/programs at federal agencies. Sponsored Projects Services (SPS) will help monitor as well.
As a reminder, if you receive requests from funding agencies to change the budget for awards, whether in its entirety or for a specific term, please contact SPS. As noted in last week’s message, if you receive a request to sign and submit attestations related to compliance with current federal guidance and priorities, please do not sign these yourselves, but rather, work with SPS to obtain a signed institutional letter. If you receive communication from a sponsor and you are uncertain about its meaning or if you can sign, please forward it to your post-award team. They will review language with the Office of General Counsel and provide an institutional letter.
Monitoring federal agency budgets
Federal funding agencies are beginning to publish their official budget requests to Congress for FY26:
Note that these only represent requests and justifications—not the final appropriations. We expect and will support continued advocacy for federal investment in research with our peers in the Association of American Universities (AAU), the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), Big 10, etc.
Prior Emails
- Positive news and recent NSF, DoD news - Wednesday, May 28
- Indirect rate updates from NSF, DOE, DoD - Wednesday, May 21
- Tracking terminations and appeals - Wednesday, May 14
- Funding agency updates, advocacy, other guidance - Wednesday, May 7
- NSF and NIH updates and keeping the research community informed - Wednesday, April 30
- Federal updates and new FAQs page for researchers - Wednesday, April 16
- Invitation to research forum - Thursday, April 3
- Federal research updates and status of the FY25 federal budget - Wednesday, March 12
- Nationwide preliminary injunction stops NIH F&A rate cut - Thursday, March 6
- Federal judge issues temporary restraining order against NIH F&A costs cap - Tuesday, February 11
- Addressing NIH notice on indirect funding cap - Sunday, February 9
- Federal funding research forum - Friday, February 7
- Monitoring federal changes - Thursday, January 30, 2025
- UO is tracking the federal agency pause on external communications and activities - Thursday, January 23, 2025