OVPR Guidance in Preparation for Potential Government Shutdown

• New funding opportunities (announcements, notices of funding opportunity or solicitations) will not be issued.
• Faculty are advised that stated sponsor deadline dates (and accompanying U-M Office of Research and Sponsored Project deadlines) that occur during the lapse in appropriations remain valid unless the agencies post notices of modification on their websites.
• Faculty should continue to submit their proposals on time to the U-M Office of Research and Sponsored Projects.
• Proposals will not be processed by the 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 at the agencies.
• 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 at agencies.
• Agency account and credential assignment and management functions may be delayed.

• New grants, contracts or cooperative agreements from agencies 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 sub-awards 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 research administrator 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 your project representative from the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects. 
• 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 (e.g., Research.gov, eRA Commons, PAMS) and should do so in accordance with project due dates. 

A government shutdown would halt nonessential functions at all federal agencies, including those that support extramural research. The lapse in appropriations would necessitate the pause until Congress enacts funding bills.

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 research administrator with questions about fund availability for active awards.

Most federal agency staff at federal agencies will be furloughed and not available to respond to emails or phone calls during a lapse in appropriations.

Faculty are advised that stated sponsor deadline dates (and accompanying U-M Office of Research and Sponsored Project deadlines) 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, NSPIRES 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.

New grants, contracts or cooperative agreements would not be awarded or released until normal operations resumed. For existing awards, agencies could not authorize costs exceeding available award amounts and would not be able to award renewals/continuation funds or authorize no-cost extensions. Researchers should contact their research administrator with questions about fund availability for active awards.

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, PAMS) and should do so in accordance with project due dates.

Researchers should continue performance under their federal awards and subawards during a lapse in appropriations, provided funds are authorized the period of performance of the grant or cooperative agreement has not expired. Researchers should contact their research administrator with questions about fund availability for active awards.

Any research-specific questions can be directed to Shandra White, assistant vice president for research – sponsored projects at [email protected]. The Office of Management and Budget maintains agency-specific contingency information and guidance on its website.