July 28: Updates and new federal training requirements
This email is being sent to PIs with open federal awards, deans, research associate deans, and unit heads whose units have federal sponsored projects.
Dear Colleagues:
The rapid pace of federal developments continues – we’re tracking numerous actions in agencies, the courts, and Congress.
First the good news: Over the past couple of weeks, we have seen a growing number of new awards and amendments come through, especially from NIH, DOD, and NSF. In addition, the Senate and House Appropriations Committees have been “marking up” the science funding bills. By and large, the committees have rejected the president’s budget proposal and drafted bills with flat funding or small cuts to science funding. There is a long way to go in the appropriations process, but these bills are a good indicator of Congress’s strong on-going support for science funding.
Several agencies are implementing mandatory research security training earlier than anticipated. Shortly, everyone who submits proposals to a federal sponsor must complete this training before submitting a proposal. OVPR has identified a one-hour course that meets the requirements. We will be communicating broadly about how to complete the training soon.
The National Institutes of Health has made several recent policy announcements. NIH has clarified that it will continue to accept and review animal model studies while prioritizing human-based studies. They also issued a new policy limiting the use of artificial intelligence in proposal development and review. In addition, principal investigators will be limited to submitting six proposals per calendar year. The NIH is implementing a new process around foreign subs, including in some cases removing those subrecipients. This impacts only a small number of CSU awardees; OSP is working with impacted PIs and grant administrators.
On July 8, the USDA Secretary of Agriculture issued guidance to agency heads related to international collaboration in both intramural and extramural research and development. We are reviewing this memo closely and awaiting further clarification about how it may impact CSU. On July 24, the Secretary of Agriculture also announced a major reorganization for the department including significant consolidation of staff outside of Washington, D.C. This memo mentions Fort Collins as one of the hubs.
Finally, on July 23 the White House released its AI Action Plan outlining various policy actions that the Trump Administration intends to take. We are currently reviewing as well to determine what impact it may have on CSU.
For now, the courts have halted all the agency proposals to cap F&A at 15%. We have been tracking the efforts of the Joint Association Group’s effort to propose a new model for recovering the costs of research and have provided input the process. The JAG proposed a new model this month and are in conversation with federal decision makers and Congress about potential pathways forward.
I continue to be grateful for all that you do. This week I want to particularly thank the many administrative professionals and state classified staff who support CSU’s research enterprise directly and indirectly. They like our faculty and students have continued to lean in to supporting our collective work even during these uncertain times.
Best,
Cass
Cassandra Moseley, Ph.D. (she/hers)
Vice President for Research
Professor, Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship
Office of the Vice President for Research