Research Guidance Regarding Possible Federal Government Shutdown

Dear Colleagues,

As the end of the federal fiscal year (September 30) approaches, we know many of you are concerned about the potential for a federal government shutdown, what that will mean and how it will impact you and your research.

As of today, Thursday, September 25, no agreement has been reached in Congress to avert a full or partial government shutdown.

We want to ensure you have the information you need to help mitigate impacts from a shutdown and to limit any disruptions to your research work. This update describes what we can expect if there is a shutdown and covers actions you can take now. We recognize that the current political environment is different, and that a shutdown may not conform to our experience in previous shutdowns. The guidance below is the best advice we can give at this point, and we will share updates as necessary.

Please note that a government shutdown does not mean that you must immediately stop work on federally funded projects (unless you receive a stop-work order, which is not expected).

In a shutdown, the administration, distribution, and funding of federal grants will be impacted. While it is important to note that each federal agency will have their own unique procedures and protocols, as well as issuing their own contingency plans, we can generally expect the following:

Agencies will be prohibited from signing new grants or contracts.
Most agency staff will not respond to any inquiries received, including about upcoming deadlines, proposal preparation, and applications.
The review process for proposals will be delayed although due dates may still be enforced unless an agency posts alternative instructions.
No new Continuing Grant Increments (CGIs) will be awarded.
Grant payments to the campus could be disrupted.
Principal Investigators (PIs) should be able to submit annual and final project reports and Project Outcomes Reports via Research.gov, the eRA Commons, or other federal portals. Please adhere to the due dates for these actions as you usually would.
No-cost extensions will likely not be processed until normal agency operations resume, and federal funds cannot be obligated for expenses that occur beyond the award end date.
Supplemental funding requests will not be processed and awarded until normal operations resume.

Given that each agency functions differently and will have its own unique contingency plan, we recommend you do the following:

We encourage faculty with awards that will expire or project periods that end between 10/1/2025 and 1/1/2026 to reach out to your agency contacts/program managers immediately and discuss their specific agency contingency plan, what will happen to your award in the event of a shutdown, and if forward funding is possible. However, please note that they may have limited capacity to respond.
If you are thinking about a Continuing Grant Increment or have a new Task Order pending, please pursue that as soon as possible.
Similarly, any no-cost extension requests should be pursued as soon as possible.
If you work with collaborators at national laboratories, it would be prudent to contact them immediately to ensure you receive any materials or information from them in advance of a potential shutdown.
In the event of a shutdown, any “stop-work orders” received on federal grants and contracts should be forwarded to [email protected].

The following resources are updated as more federal shutdown information is released:

Thank you for your patience as we work through these circumstances. We understand that a government shutdown will create some uncertainties, and it will require additional effort to manage this challenge. Of course, the impact will extend well beyond our campus to the entire country.

We will provide additional guidance as the situation evolves.

Sincerely,

Mary Croughan
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor

Simon Atkinson
Vice Chancellor for Research