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Federal Research Updates 2025

 

Research and Innovation has created this page to offer the latest information and guidance for researchers on the necessary actions to take during transitions in U.S. government administration or federal agency leadership.
   

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  Main: 915-747-5680

 

2/11/25

Dear Faculty,

In light of the recent Executive Orders and federal agency notices, please follow the requirements in the Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA) when preparing and submitting proposals to federal sponsors. It is important to adhere to all submission guidelines, eligibility criteria, budget requirements and certification processes. Any new requirements from federal agencies will be listed in the most current FOA.

Again,  all deadlines and requirements stated in the FOA remain in effect unless notified otherwise in writing. Please use  UTEP’s current federally negotiated Facilities and Administrative (F&A) rates, unless an alternative rate is specified in the FOA. UTEP’s rates can be found on the Office of Sponsored Projects website under “ Quick Info”.

Failure to comply with FOA instructions may result in proposal rejection, increased scrutiny, or funding restrictions. To avoid these risks, we strongly encourage faculty to work closely with your assigned  Research Administrator to ensure full compliance before submission.

For the latest updates on University guidelines and federal policy changes, please refer to Research & Innovation’s website:  Federal Updates.

Please reach out to your RA if you have any project-specific questions.

Sincerely,

Cory J Brown, CRA
Director - Office of Sponsored Projects

 


 

2/10/25


 
Supplemental Guidance to the 2024 NIH Grants Policy Statement: Indirect Cost Rates
 

 

Dear Colleagues,

As you're aware, the research landscape continues to evolve rapidly due to Executive Orders and court rulings following the recent transition in the executive branch. I anticipate that we will face ongoing uncertainty in the near future. The recent changes to federal funding policies have understandably caused some anxiety within the UTEP research community, particularly concerning their potential impact on our faculty, staff, and students.

The Office of Research and Innovation is closely monitoring all communications and updates from the federal government and funding agencies. Our teams are ready to offer guidance and support as needed. We encourage you to reach out to your Research Administrator, our Associate Vice Presidents for Research, or myself if you have any questions or need assistance regarding changes to your grants.

We are currently evaluating the impact of the new NIH cap on overhead costs and how it may affect our research infrastructure and support systems. The new policy states that “For any new grant issued, and for all existing grants to IHEs retroactive to the date of issuance of this Supplemental Guidance, award recipients are subject to a 15 percent indirect cost rate. This rate will allow grant recipients a reasonable and realistic recovery of indirect costs while helping NIH ensure that grant funds are, to the maximum extent possible, spent on furthering its mission. This policy shall be applied to all current grants for go forward expenses from February 10, 2025 forward as well as for all new grants issued. We will not be applying this cap retroactively back to the initial date of issuance of current grants to IHEs.” The Office of Research and Innovation is developing strategies to ensure we can continue to support UTEP researchers should other funding agencies implement similar policies.

In the meantime, we ask that you continue with your research activities and fulfill your grant obligations. Unless we receive specific instructions to halt work or modify the scope of an award, it remains both your responsibility and UTEP’s to meet our commitments.

Our commitment to the research community is unwavering. Our work moves forward, transformative research remains crucial, and we remain dedicated to ensuring respect and fairness for every member of our community. UTEP has faced many challenges in the past, and thanks to the excellence and dedication of our faculty, staff, and students, we have always emerged stronger, achieving new milestones in research, education, and service to our community.

For the latest updates on UTEP’s policies and procedures in response to these developments, please continue to visit the ORI page for Federal Research Updates.

Sincerely,

Ahmad M. Itani
Vice President for Research & Innovation
 
 

2/3/25

The United States District Court of Rhode Island issued a temporary restraining order (Court’s Order) in the case of New York et al. v. Trump, No. 25-cv-39-JJM-PAS (D.R.I.), ECF No. 50 (Jan. 31, 2025). See court order here.

As the Court’s Order reflects, the terms are temporary as litigation in the case is ongoing.

Below is a summary of key terms from the order:

  1. Federal agencies cannot pause, freeze, impede, block, cancel, or terminate any awards or obligations on the basis of the OMB Memo, or on the basis of the President’s recently issued Executive Orders.
  2. This prohibition applies to all awards or obligations—not just those involving the Plaintiff States in the above-referenced case—and also applies to future assistance (not just current or existing awards or obligations).
  3. Agencies may exercise their own authority to pause awards or obligations, provided agencies do so purely based on their own discretion—not as a result of the OMB Memo or the President’s Executive Orders—and provided the pause complies with all notice and procedural requirements in the award, agreement, or other instrument relating to such a pause.

 
 

1/31/25

In accordance with the recent Executive Order titled, " Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing" all federal awardees are required to terminate any activities related to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA). For clarification regarding how this impacts your specific award, please reach out to your program officer or program director as soon as possible.

Note that unless otherwise directed by your sponsor, all other activities associated with federally funded projects should continue as usual. The terms and conditions of your active award remain in effect. Sponsored Projects will promptly inform you of any changes that may impact your funding.

If you receive any notice from your funding agency to pause or stop your work, please forward the communication to your Research Administrator in The Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) at OSP@utep.edu for guidance prior to responding. A stop work order means that all project activities must cease immediately, and no additional expenses can be incurred from the effective date of the order.


 
 

1/29/25

OMB Memorandum M-25-13 is rescinded [View Here]


Federal Government Agency Updates

For any project specific questions please reach out to your assigned Research Administrator or OSP@utep.edu

Updates to this website will be made as new information is available


Council on Government Relations Resources Page 

[ View Info ]

 

Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS/NIH/CDC/SAMHSA/HRSA)

[ View Info ]

  • There will be a temporary delay in communications due to an immediate pause on issuing documents and public communications.
  • This mandate was issued directly through the HHS in a Jan. 21 memo, and thus impacts the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration and all other HHS divisions.
  • Travel is immediately suspended for federal health agency personnel.

 

National Science Foundation

[ View Info ]

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memorandum M-25-13, issued on January 27, 2025, directs all Federal agencies to conduct a comprehensive review of their financial assistance programs to determine programs, projects, and activities that may be implicated by the recent Executive Orders. Therefore, all review panels, new awards, and all payments of funds under open awards will be paused as the agency conducts the required reviews and analysis. NSF has created an Executive Order Implementation webpage to ensure the widest dissemination of information and updates. We will continue to communicate with you as we receive additional guidance.

 

All NSF grantees must comply with these Executive Orders, and any other relevant Executive Orders issued, by ceasing all non-compliant grant and award activities. Executive Orders are posted at https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/. In particular, this may include, but is not limited to conferences, trainings, workshops, considerations for staffing and participant selection, and any other grant activity that uses or promotes the use of DEIA principles and frameworks or violates Federal anti-discrimination laws.

 

Department of Energy

To Implement the E.O., the Department of Energy (DOE) directs the immediate suspension of the following activities in your financial assistance awards:

  • Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, procedures, programs, activities, and reviews involving or relating to DEI objectives and principles until further notice;
  • Requiring, using, or enforcing Community Benefits Plans (CBP)*; and
  • Justice40 requirements, conditions, or principles.

*In lieu of the CBP, the Department of Energy’s Office of Science required financial assistance applicants to include a Promoting Inclusive and Equitable Research (PIER) Plan in their applications for financial assistance in response to funding opportunity announcement beginning in fiscal year (FY) 2023. These PIER Plans were subsequently incorporated into resultant financial assistance awards by reference.

Therefore, effective immediately, you shall suspend all DEI, CBP/PIER Plans and Justice 40 activities associated with all financial assistance awards issued by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science (SC), Consolidated Service Center – Office of Grants and Cooperative Agreements. DOE will not enforce any award requirements related to the above activities during this suspension pending the outcome of a review of the Department’s ongoing activities.


 

NASA

[ View Info ]

On January 20, 2025, the President of the United States of America signed an Executive Order titled, “Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions”, which repeals Executive Order 14035, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce”. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management issued a memorandum, dated January 21, 2025, titled, “Initial Guidance Regarding DEIA Executive Orders” to federal agencies. This guidance directed agencies to take immediate action to identify and terminate DEIA initiatives and programs and remove final or pending documents, directives, orders, materials, and equity plans issued by agencies in response to now-repealed Executive Order 14035, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) in the Federal Workforce (June 25, 2021).  

 

Effective immediately, NASA Grants and Cooperative Agreements Terms and Conditions must be updated to remove any reference to DEIA initiatives and programs.  NASA Shared Services Center (NSSC) will continue to work packages; however, the Grant Officer is not able to award until the agency Terms and Conditions are updated.  NASA appreciates your patience with the award delays as we continue to work diligently to complete all grant and cooperative agreement awards.

 

National Institutes of Justice (NIJ/Department of Justice)

[ View Info ]

At this time, NIJ has removed all previously posted Notices of Funding Opportunity and associated webinars.

 

United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)

[ View Info ]

USDA has communicated a temporary suspension of actions on all grants. Existing work can continue under active awards until such time as you receive further guidance for specific awards.

 

1/28/25

Dear Faculty and Staff,

Amidst ongoing uncertainties surrounding federal funding, it’s important to take a realistic and measured approach. Together, we will continue to push forward on our research mission and for the benefit of the students we serve.

UTEP is closely monitoring all updates from the federal government and associated agencies regarding policy changes and will continue to evaluate the potential local impact during this period of transition.

The Office of Management and Budget has clarified that financial aid to individual students will be unaffected by yesterday’s guidance. Meanwhile, researchers should continue to work on their funded projects unless you receive instructions from your program officer, agency contact, or Research Administrator indicating otherwise.

Any researcher who received or receives information from your funding agency should reach out to your Research Administrator in The Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) at OSP@utep.edu for guidance, prior to responding.  

 

Proposals

  • We recommend all PIs confirm proposal deadlines, check for any changes to proposal requirements, and discuss with their assigned Research Administrator to discuss any potential impacts to proposal submissions.
  • OSP will continue to submit proposals to federal agencies as long as submission systems remain operational, and no changes have been made to submission requirements/deadlines. We will notify those impacted by any changes to proposal submission due dates if they occur.
  • Review timelines for federal agencies may be halted or extended due to pauses on federal funding.

 

Awards

  • Many federal agencies have indicated that work on existing awards may continue as long as obligated funds are available, subject to new policies. However, we anticipate delays in additional funding or new funding as a result of policy changes.
  • Continued compliance with all agency requirements for funded awards is important, and OSP will review all amendments for changes in terms and conditions.
  • Changes to reporting requirements for funded awards may occur and, in coordination with OSP, you should respond to program officer instructions as needed.
  • If a stop work order is issued for your project, let OSP know immediately and halt all project activities.
  • Internal no cost extensions while awaiting additional allocations from federal agencies will require agency confirmation that the project will continue.

 

We know things are changing rapidly and will keep faculty and staff updated as needed, while reaching out to individual project teams that may be impacted. Should there be any project-specific concerns, please contact the Vice President for Research or a member of the Research and Innovation Leadership Team to discuss. We will continue our work to support the vital research that you do.

 

Sincerely,

Ahmad Itani, Vice President for Research
John Wiebe, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs