What agencies are impacted by the government shutdown?
Congress has not approved funding for any of the federal agencies that support extramural research. This includes the Department of Defense, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Commerce (including NIST, NOAA and EDA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Department of Transportation.
What is the impact of the shutdown on my federally funded research project?
Researchers should continue performance under their federal awards and subawards during a lapse in appropriations, provided funds are authorized during the period of performance of the grant or cooperative agreement has not expired. Researchers should contact their Awards Specialist with questions about fund availability for active awards.
Will I still be able to connect with my federal agency points-of-contact?
Most federal agency staff will be furloughed and will not be available to respond to emails or phone calls during a lapse in appropriations.
What about federal funding opportunities that have upcoming deadlines for submission?
Faculty are advised that stated sponsor deadline dates that occur during the lapse in appropriations remain valid unless agencies post notices of modification on their websites. Proposal preparation and submission through Grants.gov, Research.gov, and other agency submission sites would remain operational. Proposal submission deadlines should be adhered to, though agencies may revise some due dates once operations resume. Faculty should assume that standard dates apply and submit accordingly.
Are awards still being processed?
New grants, contracts or cooperative agreements will not be awarded or released until normal operations resume. For existing awards, agencies cannot authorize costs exceeding available award amounts and will not be able to award renewals/continuation funds or authorize no-cost extensions. Researchers should contact their Awards Specialist with questions about fund availability for active awards.
How should I handle reporting requirements like end-of-project or interim reports?
Principal investigators will be able to submit annual/interim reports, final project reports and project outcomes reports in agency systems (e.g., Research.gov, eRA Commons) and should do so in accordance with project due dates.
I have a five-year grant with staff and supplies in progress in year two. Next week will mark the start of year three. Should I proceed with business as usual?
Researchers should continue performance under their federal awards and subawards during a lapse in appropriations, provided funds are authorized for the period of performance of the grant, or the cooperative agreement has not expired. Researchers should contact their research administrator with questions about fund availability for active awards.
Please contact the Sponsored Programs Administration department at SPA@kumc.edu with any questions or concerns.