Welcome back to MicroLearning Mondays, our biweekly series of bite-sized research administration trainings brought to you by the Department of Contracts and Grants. This week’s topic: Single IRB at USC: What Every PI Needs to Know Why It Matters: Federal sponsors such as NIH now require the use of a Single IRB (sIRB) for most multi-site human subjects […]
Announcements
NSF Operations During Federal Government Lapse in Appropriations
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is currently affected by the federal government shutdown, resulting in the suspension of most NSF operations. While limited, excepted activities will continue, new funding actions and administrative processes are on hold until normal operations resume. NSF Policy Reference: NSF Website: NSF Memorandum: Assistance and Contract-Related Policy and Systems Issues During […]
DOE Indirect Cost Restrictions in Upcoming Solicitations
The Department of Energy (DOE) has introduced new solicitation language imposing a 15% cap on indirect costs (IDC), also known as Facilities & Administrative (F&A) costs. Based on DOE policy documents and peer institution consensus, this restriction does not apply to institutions of higher education (IHEs). It is intended for nonprofit, for-profit, and state or […]
Federal Government Shutdown – Impacts on Research & Public Health Agencies
As of October 1, 2025, the federal government entered a lapse in appropriations, resulting in an immediate shutdown of many operations across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and its divisions. HHS has released its FY26 Lapse in Funding Contingency Plan, alongside division-specific updates for key agencies including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), […]
New Application and Award Structure for NIH-Funded International Collaborations (Replacing Foreign Subawards)
On September 12, 2025, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released Notice NOT-OD-25-155 and updated their website with an announcement outlining a significant change in how international collaborations will be handled at both the proposal and award stage. NIH will no longer accept applications that include foreign components through the traditional subaward or consortium structure. Instead, NIH is introducing a new […]
Considerations for a Government Shutdown
Announcement: Congress has until September 30, 2025, to pass a budget to fund the federal government for the next fiscal year. If a budget agreement is not reached and signed by the President, the U.S. Government will shut down until funding is restored. While the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has not yet issued final guidance […]