Dear Duke Research Community Member, |
We are closely monitoring developments in Washington, D.C., and evaluating the likelihood of a partial federal government shutdown, which would begin at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, January 31, 2026, and the potential impact on Duke University’s research activity.
Since the federal government resumed operations in November 2025, six of twelve appropriations bills have been passed into law and agencies funded through those bills would continue normal operations should a shutdown occur. Therefore, these agencies will not be affected by a lapse in funding and will continue normal operations:
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- National Science Foundation,
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Department of Agriculture,
- Department of Commerce (including NOAA),
- Department of Veterans Affairs,
- The Environmental Protection Agency, and
- NASA.
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The agencies without a final appropriations bill for FY26, who would cease non-essential operations at 12:01 a.m. on January 31, 2026 should a shutdown occur are:
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- Department of Defense,
- Department of Education,
- Department of Labor,
- Department of Health and Human Services (including the National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control), and
- Department of Homeland Security.
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Those in the research community who are preparing an application for or have active projects with the impacted agencies should consider the following:
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As with previous federal government shutdowns, researchers with active federally sponsored grants and contracts will generally be instructed to continue work unless the sponsor issues a specific order to stop work. If you receive a stop work order or termination notice related to a specific award, please forward to grantsupport@duke.edu so that central research offices may provide clarity and assistance.
- Although we have not received sponsor-specific guidance on how a potential federal government shutdown may impact submission of new or competing applications or progress reporting, we anticipate that some agencies will not be available to process these.
- If you are preparing an application or progress report for an upcoming submission deadline, you should continue to prepare those documents for an on-time submission.
- Post-award actions (such as federal sponsor processing of prior approval requests) are unlikely to occur during a shutdown.
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We encourage you to review information provided in myRESEARCHpath on the impact of a government shutdown on federal research. Guidance and communications from the federal agencies can occur throughout the shutdown.
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We will continue to monitor agency specific communications regarding the potential shutdown and provide detailed updates and guidance via email and myRESEARCHpath, as well as general updates provided on the Duke Office of Government Relations blog.
We are confident that, with the assistance and coordination of our research community, we will continue to navigate these unprecedented times together.
Please reach out to your pre-award office if you have any questions or concerns regarding the impact of a potential federal government shutdown on your research.
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Vice President for Research & Innovation
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Contact Our Office
421 Chapel Dr
Box 90037, Allen Bldg 119
Durham, NC 27708-9984
EMAIL
vpri@duke.edu
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