Federal Updates for Researchers

During a shutdown, program managers at federal agencies are unlikely to be able to communicate with principal investigators (PIs). Federal employees are also unlikely to be available to answer phone calls, respond to emails, maintain websites, hold meetings, review applications, send proposals out for peer review, process new awards or issue manual payments.

Added October 1, 2025.

• For new non-competing continuation segments or awards, where you have not received an NOA, use caution for pre-award spending. The PI or unit is fiscally responsible for pre-award spending if the award is not received.
• Faculty working at a federal agency on an IPA agreement should immediately contact the agency to determine next steps
• For federal contracts, “Stop Work” orders may be implemented, in which case, those employees can no longer be paid with federal funds allocated to that contract. Be aware of limitations of funds or costs terms in contracts.
• Faculty working in federal labs/facilities and possibly on cooperative agreements and joint awards may be most immediately affected. They could receive notification that they are not permitted to work on associated awards during the shutdown.

Added October 1, 2025.

• No new grants will be awarded during the shutdown. 
• Funding for active grants that are due for renewal or no-cost extensions may not be processed. 
• Payments and federal drawdowns may be suspended.

Added October 1, 2025.

Submission portals (e.g., Grants.gov, Research.gov) should remain open for submission. Therefore, all published grant and nomination deadlines must still be met, even during a shutdown. Principal Investigators (PIs) are encouraged to continue to submit grants proposals, while recognizing that grant proposals will not be processed until normal operations resume. Peer reviews/study sections are not expected to occur during the shutdown, which could delay start dates.

Added October 1, 2025.

Agencies will experience backlogs once operations resume, which could further delay award announcements, review panels, meetings and public launches of new programs.

Added October 1, 2025.

• Department of Education
• Department of Energy
• Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS)
  • National Institute of Health
• Department of the Interior
• Department of Commerce
• Department of Transportation
• Department of War
• Department of Treasury
• National Science Foundation
• NASA

Added October 1, 2025.

Dear Colleagues,

We wanted to highlight and give further context to some of the most recent updates from the CU System’s Office of Government Relations for the Denver Campus research community.

• On March 14, Congress passed legislationto fund the federal government through September 30, 2025 and avert a shutdown. Notably, the seven-month continuing resolution increases defense funding by $6 billion and decreases non-defense spending by $13 billion, including a reduction in the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) funding from $1.5 billion to $650 million. Funding for other sponsored agencies remains largely flat, and the bill retained language prohibiting changes to Facility & Administrative rates. 
• On March 14, an appeals court lifted a block on executive orders seeking to end government support for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. In overturning the preliminary injunction, the government is now permitted (during the pendency of the lawsuit) to enforce the termination, attestation, and enforcement sections of the DEI executive orders. This could impact grants at our institution. It is the responsibility of the Office of Grants and Contracts (OGC), not the individual investigator, to provide any campus attestation. If you receive an attestation, or any other specific grant requests related to the executive orders, please work with your research administrator contact to complete the CU Denver Federal Transition Inquiry/Update Form. This immediately notifies the Campus Federal Transition Team and OGC, who will respond as required.
• Several agencies intend to issue guidance or have announced new rules for institutions that draw down grant funds from federal payment management systems to align with Executive Order 14222which requires grant recipients to provide justification explaining the purpose of the payment for each grant drawdown. OGC has worked with University Counsel to provide a standard response related to overall expenses. There is no action required of investigators or units.

Please remember that whenever you receive any direct communication from a federal sponsor related to your grants, including stop-work orders, it is important that you contact the Denver Campus Federal Transition Team for guidance. The team reviews your questions and any individual sponsor notifications on a case-by-case basis to determine what may be covered by the current directives and subsequent court orders.

We recognize this is a challenging time for our research and creative works community. The Office of Research Services is here to support and assist you. Please review the ORS Federal Transition Updates for Researchers website for guidance for our campus research community. For other general information related to the federal transition, please continue to visit the Denver Campus Federal Transition site and the CU System Federal Transition Updates.

Sincerely,

Phillip De Leon

The Office of Research Services sent notification through the ORS listserv a note regarding the NIH Announcement on a standard facilities & administrative (F&A) rate of 15%:

Dear Colleagues,

I wanted to share important updates about the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announcement. On Friday, Feb. 7, the NIH revealed that it will impose a standard facilities & administrative (F&A) rate of 15% for all NIH grantee institutions. This new rate is significantly lower than CU Denver's federally-negotiated rate for research of 56% and will apply to both existing and future NIH grants starting today. As you know, indirect cost recovery (ICR) is fundamentally important to support the physical and operational infrastructure of the research enterprise. This infrastructure includes critical components such as

• environmental health and safety (EHS)
• grant administrative services
• management and security of data
• lab operations and maintenance
• research IT

Universities such as ours, pay these expenses as we conduct sponsored research, and the sponsor then reimburses a portion of these necessary research expenses.

The annual spending bill that funds NIH includes language from Congress prohibiting the Administration from making changes to F&A rates. CU System and CU Denver leadership is committed to preserving research support and mitigating the impact of this announcement. We already know attorneys general are seeking a court order to halt this action.

For decades, Coloradans and people across the country have benefited from NIH-sponsored medical research as well as other federally-sponsored research which has led to scientific breakthroughs and life-saving discoveries. Like most research universities across the country, much of CU Denver's research is funded through federal agencies. Weakening the long-standing partnership between research institutions and the federal government, which also serves as a model around the world, will have far-reaching consequences.

For now, please continue your important work unless you hear otherwise from a program officer or sponsor. In that case, please contact your College/School research administrator, the Office of Research Services, and General Counsel Chris Puckett. In addition, please visit campus resource webpages:

• https://www.cu.edu/blog/government-relations
• https://ucdenver.edu/federal-updates/
• https://research.ucdenver.edu/resources/federal-transition-updates

Our campus and university leadership remain committed to CU Denver's research, scholarly, and creative work. Our shared commitment to advancing research, including medical and health-related work, has never been more important.

The Office of Research Services sent notification through the ORS listserv highlighting the latest CU System's Office of Government Relations guidance. The message included the following:

"On Friday, a federal judge issued a restraining order restricting the activities of the Office of Management and Budget and federal agencies. As noted by the system message, “The guidance clarifies that federal agencies cannot “pause, freeze, impede, block, cancel or terminate” any federal grants on the basis of the now-rescinded OMB memo from January 27 or any recent Executive Orders. This includes stop work orders issued to institutions as well as individual PIs on specific grants. Based on this ruling and the accompanying guidance, we recommend that all researchers, faculty, and staff continue working on their grants as normal.” 

If you still have questions about your grant, we encourage you to reach out to your program officers. If you receive information from your program officers that impacts your grant, please immediately contact your College/School research administrator and ORS. If you believe you have received a request that may disrupt your work, please copy Managing University Counsel Chris Puckett."

All research activities should proceed as planned unless directed otherwise by a federal sponsor.

• Research activities not impacted by recent changes should continue without interruption.
• Continue to submit grants using the most updated information from the program announcements or program officers to guide the development of your applications.
• Check this website regularly for the latest updates, and reach out to us with any questions using this online form.