Today, a federal judge, Angel Kelley, issued a nationwide preliminary injunction that blocks the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from enforcing a new guideline, which caps Facilities & Administrative (F&A) costs at 15%. The injunction follows a hearing on February 21, 2025, where various parties, including the government and representatives from several universities, medical colleges, […]
Announcements
Institutionally Limited & Time-Sensitive Opportunities (Weekly Email)
Institutionally Limited & Time-Sensitive Opportunities Greetings, Please see below our weekly digest of new limited submissions and time-sensitive opportunities. This Week’s Announcements: New Nominations New Limited Submissions Other Funding Opportunities of Note New Nominations Congratulations to Stephen Tu (Viterbi) and Yu-Tsun Shao (Viterbi) for their nominations to the Packard Fellowships for Science and Engineering. RII […]
Research & Appropriations Working Group – February 2025 Memo
Please see the attached memo from Robbie Llewellyn, Director of Federal Relations and Tyler Aguilar, Senior Executive Director of State Relations. Topics covered in the memo include: Federal Updates USC’s research notification websites for federal directives. Executive Order advocacy and judicial challenges. Senate confirmations of key officials. Federal appropriations and potential government shutdown. Budget reconciliation […]
Executive Order: Implementing the President’s Department of Government Efficiency Cost Efficiency Initiative
President Trump’s recent executive order introduces measures aimed at enhancing transparency and accountability in federal spending, particularly concerning research awards. The key points impacting research funding are: Centralized Payment Justification System: Agencies are required to establish a system that records every payment made under federal contracts and grants, accompanied by a brief written justification from the […]
Court Issues Preliminary Injunction Against OMB Funding Freeze
Court Issues Preliminary Injunction Against OMB Funding Freeze On February 26, the D.C. District Court issued a Preliminary Injunction in National Council of Nonprofits v. OMB, extending the previous Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) against the Administration’s funding freeze. The court rejected OMB’s argument that the case is moot, noting that disbursements only resumed after the […]
Important Legal Update on Recent Executive Orders
On Friday, February 21, the Maryland District Court issued a preliminary injunction in Nat’l Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education v. Trump, temporarily blocking certain provisions of two recent executive orders: Executive Order 14151 (Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing, Jan. 20, 2025) Executive Order 14173 (Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring […]