Potential Government Shutdown and Federally Funded Research

Guidance for government shutdown anticipated October 1

The purpose of this memo is to provide guidance to researchers and their personnel in the event of a shutdown of the federal government, which may occur as of October 1, 2025.

New funding opportunities (announcements, notices of funding opportunity or solicitations) will not be issued.
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.
Faculty should continue to submit their proposals on time to the Sponsored Programs Administration.
Proposals will not be processed by agencies until normal agency operations resume, and there will be related delays in agency customer communications.
Peer review panels and study sections will not be held, but meetings would be rescheduled once agency operations resume.
Agency responses to any inquiries received regarding upcoming deadlines, including proposal preparation, will be deferred until normal operations resume.
Faculty may not be able to contact their project officers or agency representatives.
Agency account and credential assignment and management functions may be delayed (e.g., eRA Commons, NSF IDs).

New grants, contracts or cooperative agreements will not be awarded or released until normal operations resume.
During a lapse in appropriations, agencies cannot authorize costs exceeding available award amounts, obligate additional funds to cover such costs or authorize no-cost extensions.
No-cost extensions will not be granted during this period.
Grant and award continuations will not be awarded until normal operations resume.
Researchers should continue to perform project activities and incur necessary costs to maintain project progress. However, if the shutdown becomes extended, costs should be closely monitored in the event award funding is reduced or significantly delayed once operations resume.

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 Awards Specialist with questions about fund availability for active awards.
Absent an official notice to stop performing work (stop-work order), researchers should continue to perform under contracts or cooperative agreements for work where sufficient funds were obligated and drawn prior to a lapse in appropriations, and where performance does not require government support, such as quality assurance oversight or other actions required of agency staff.
If a research project team receives a stop-work notification, the notice should be immediately forwarded to spa@kumc.edu.
Activities on grants, contracts and cooperative agreements should continue as normal, but the University may be delayed in receiving funds to reimburse for incurred costs on existing awards.
Principal investigators will be able to submit annual/interim reports, final project reports and project outcomes reports in agency systems and should do so in accordance with project due dates.

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.

The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression, and genetic information in the university’s programs and activities. Retaliation is also prohibited by university policy. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies and procedures and is the Title IX Coordinator for all KU and KUMC campuses: Associate Vice Chancellor for the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX, civilrights@ku.edu, Room 1082, Dole Human Development Center, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045, 785-864-6414, 711 TTY. Reports can be submitted by contacting the Title IX Coordinator as provided herein or online and complaints can be submitted with the Title IX Coordinator or online.

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