Federal Shutdown Guidance

As you may already know, a federal government shutdown began on October 1, 2025.

As a result, NIH and NSF have issued formal notices on the shutdown and the impact on federally funded research and operations. The following outlines a few key points:

You may still submit grant applications, but NIH will not process anything until operations resume. Submission systems like eRA Commons and ASSIST are still live, but administrators are not available to respond.
Peer review meetings scheduled during the shutdown are postponed. NIH will reschedule them once normal operations resume.
If your application was reviewed before the shutdown, you will not receive your summary statement or score until NIH is back online—even if the meeting already happened.
NIH staff are not available to answer questions—including program officers and review staff. Email, phone, and conventional mail communication is on hold.
RPPRs and no-cost extension requests should be submitted, but will not be processed until the shutdown ends.
NSF is unlikely to issue new awards or other actions during the shutdown.
Continue working on existing NSF awards but note exceptions such as new increments of funding are likely to be
delayed until the shutdown is resolved. Once funding is exhausted, work will need to cease unless your department is willing to assume the financial risk of working without committed funds.

Here are links to both the NIH and NSF full notices detailing federal shutdown guidance. For other federal agencies, please visit the respective agency homepage for the most up-to-date information.

NIH: Information for the NIH Extramural Community During the Lapse of Federal Government Funding (Notice NOT‑OD‑26‑004)
NSF: NSF Shutdown / Contingency Plan

We understand that recent federal directives have raised questions and concerns. Please know that we are closely monitoring guidance from federal agencies and actively engaging with both internal experts and external professional associations to better understand the implications.

We are here to support you through this evolving situation, and we will navigate any upcoming changes together.

Thank you for your continued perseverance.

Jennifer Jones, Director of Research & Sponsored Programs