Guidance on New Administration Policy for Federal Research
Contents
Guidance for Responding to Award Change Notifications
Updated 1/29/2025
Contractual Changes
We are seeing agency requests to PIs for scope revisions and suspend work orders for obligated funds. It is important that you monitor your email for these requests and respond in a timely manner should you receive one.
Scope Revisions
Some PIs are receiving notices to cease award activities that have become noncompliant with the new Executive Orders, either specific to a particular project or via a broad message from the agency. For example, PIs have received notice that projects which have any activity that uses or promotes the use of DEIA principles and frameworks or violates Federal anti-discrimination laws should terminate the activities and redirect efforts to other aspects of the project. Questions about specific activities on your project should be directed to your program manager.
Some federal agencies have emailed PIs with the option to revise recent proposals in submission to remove sections no longer required within the proposal. Revisions need to go through OSP – see below for further details.
Recent agency communications include:
- NSF: https://new.nsf.gov/executive-orders
- DoD: https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/4045264/department-of-defense-statement-clarifying-defense-contracting/
- NASA: https://www.nasa.gov/nasa-global-contractor-and-grantee-community-memos/
- CDC: https://www.washington.edu/research/wp-content/uploads/DEI-Restrictions-Domestic.pdf
Terms or Award Changes
We anticipate changes to sponsor requirements for compliance, certifications made by the UW as a grantee/contractor, and award reporting.
Changes may come from a sponsor as a blanket change, by Memo, or newly implemented policy. Others may be by individual award amendment. You may also receive informal instructions directly from your Program Officer. We will try to collect what is known here and any impact to sponsored programs as a whole. However, if you receive any individual amendment or other specific award change instructions, please submit as an Award Modification in SAGE.
Stop or Suspend Work Orders
If OSP receives a stop-work order, an Award Modification will be created and routed to the PI for awareness and additional information.
If a PI receives a stop-work order, they or their unit grant manager should initiate the OSP & GCA Award Modification as soon as possible. The modification should be categorized as “Other Changes” with the subcategory “Other Changes/Sponsor Approval Required.” Include the sponsor communication and any required documents, specify the sponsor’s deadline, and route the request to OSP. Additionally, email osp@uw.edu with the MOD#.
Any expenditures benefiting the project incurred after the effective date of the stop work order must be charged to an alternative spending source. Projects with a stop work order will also have a hiring freeze.
OSP will be monitoring stop work orders for outgoing subawards and issuing an appropriate notification to the subrecipient, copying the UW PI and unit contact. If you have questions about a subaward stop work, please email ospsubs@uw.edu.
General Award Guidance
Researchers should continue working on funded projects and continue to submit proposals. If you have any questions regarding your federal awards, please reach out to your unit administrators. We will provide regular updates via MRAM and this webpage.
Proposals
The Office of Sponsored Programs continues to submit proposals. All federal agency submission systems are operational at this time. Check your funding announcement for any revisions or updates, including the opportunity expiration date. Consider signing up for alerts from federal agencies or sponsors.
Post-Submission
Various federal agencies are assessing funding priorities and making adjustments in operations in response to executive orders and directives. We are aware that NIH study sections have been impacted due to an HHS freeze. We are aware of specific funding decisions that have been delayed while assessment occurs. Some federal agencies have emailed PIs with the option to revise recent proposals to remove sections no longer required within the proposal. Revised proposals and pre-award correspondence to sponsors should be sent through OSP.
- Revised proposals require a revised eGC1.
- Pre-award correspondence should be submitted to OSP via osp@uw.edu.
Advance Spend
Advance budgets may not be approved during this period of uncertainty. If you have an already approved advance budget, keep it to essential expenditures. Remember that incurring expenses ahead of the award is a risk assumed by the PI and department.
Awards
Spending
Unless you have received a stop work or change order, please consider it business as usual for activity on your federal awards. Any specific change that impacts spending should be processed as an Award Modification in SAGE.
Reports
Stay on top of timely submissions per standard instructions in your award.
Travel
The HHS freeze impacts ability to travel. There may be delays in conferences, on site activity, and presentations.
Subaward
During this period of uncertainty, OSP will no longer be issuing assurance letters to sub-recipients prior to subaward set-up.
Temporary Internal Extension
Under certain circumstances, if requested by the PI, OSP may process an internal extension. As is always the case, note that any expenditures incurred ahead of the formal sponsor approved extension is a risk assumed by the PI and department.