Tracking Federal Changes

The start of a new presidential administration brings change to the policies and priorities of our nation’s federal agencies. OVPR will use this space to highlight important updates impacting the University of Michigan research enterprise.

Important Note for Researchers and Research Administrators:
Before implementing new federal directives or policy changes, consult your assigned Award Management Team member in the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects (ORSP) to ensure compliance. If you receive directives, certifications or requests for attestations related to an agreement’s terms, coordinate with your research administrator and the ORSP Award Management Team to address them. As a reminder, contractual documents, certifications and other binding documents must be executed by ORSP on behalf of the institution.

NIH seeks input on grant cap

Dear Colleagues, The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has issued a Request for Information seeking public feedback on a proposal that would limit the number of simultaneous NIH Research Project Grants (RPGs) that may be held by an individual principal investigator....

OMB releases proposed rule on Uniform Guidance

Late last month, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a proposed rule to update the Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance, commonly referred to as “Uniform Guidance,” which provides consistent guidance to federal agencies on how to...

Announcing a New University Research Funding Program

EDIT: The application deadline for the program has been extended to Sept. 30, 2026. Dear Research Community, Over the past several months, the University of Michigan has taken deliberate steps to support our researchers through periods of federal funding uncertainty....

FAQs on New Research Funding Program

EDIT: The application deadline for the program has been extended to Sept. 30, 2026. On Jan. 20, the University of Michigan shared an overview of a new research funding program designed to support faculty whose federal grant proposals received strong peer-review...

Details on New Research Funding Program

EDIT: The application deadline for the program has been extended to Sept. 30, 2026. Program Background The University of Michigan is launching a new research funding program designed to support faculty whose federal grant proposals received strong peer-review...

NSF research security policies go into effect Dec. 2 (UPDATED)

UPDATED Dec. 5, 2025 – The National Science Foundation announced today it had implemented a grace period for enforcement of NSF Important Notice No. 149 for proposals submitted between Dec. 2 and Dec. 31.  "We have been made aware of challenges for NSF programs with...

OVPR guidance in preparation for potential government shutdown

In preparation for a potential partial government shutdown and to ensure continuity of operations, the Office of the Vice President for Research has developed guidance and a series of FAQs to highlight some of the most pressing research-related policy and systems...

Update on H-1B visa changes

On Friday, the Trump administration issued a proclamation establishing new restrictions on the H-1B visa program. In statements the following day, the White House and U.S.  Citizenship and Immigration Services clarified the following: The proclamation only applies to...

Executive order introduces new federal grant review process

The Trump administration issued an executive order last week that directs federal agency heads to designate a senior political appointee who will be responsible for overseeing new funding opportunity announcements and reviewing discretionary grants “to ensure that...

Important Update on Regulations Regarding Bulk U.S. Sensitive Data

Dear Colleagues, Thank you for the many ways that you contribute to our research enterprise. Every day, the work that we do makes a real difference for people all over our state and across the nation. The university is dedicated to supporting this work in ways that...