Frequently Asked Questions - UCI Office of Research

Frequently Asked Questions re: Federal Impacts on UC/UCI Research

Federal Executive Orders and Directives

Can we assume that our current grants will continue to receive funding?

Do we know if awards are reviewed in their entirety or if specific parts are considered for cancellation separately from the entire grant?

Is it advisable to wait before submitting a new or revised application?

Has UCI been able to successfully draw down funds for all our existing federal awards since January 21st?

Has there been any information or announcements regarding the approval of second or third no-cost extensions for federally funded projects at UCI?

Are there any updates about the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)?

When a federal grant shows all funds as obligated and awarded in the official documentation, does this necessarily mean that the entire grant amount has been transferred to and is currently available in UCI's accounts?

If an award is cancelled or terminated, are dispersed funds required to be returned to the agency?

No, federal awards are cost reimbursable. Funds that have already been expended or dispersed do not need to be returned. However, further spending on the project after the termination date should be limited to allowable termination and/or closeout costs in accordance with Uniform Guidance. Please reach out to your Contracts and Grants Officer if you have any specific questions about a terminated award or allowable costs.

Should I change my spending patterns for any of my federally funded projects?

Are there any institutional funds available for PIs impacted by recent stop work orders or terminations?

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Federal Impact Q&A Form

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

The NIH has announced the imposition of a standard 15% indirect cost rate for Facilities and Administration (F&A) costs, replacing the previously negotiated rate; however, implementation of this rate has been suspended by court order. The rationale behind this change is to allocate more funds directly to scientific research. How crucial are these F&A funds for establishing essential research infrastructure, and what impact does reducing these funds have on the research conducted?

F&A or indirect costs are critical for the research enterprise at UCI. F&A supports research infrastructure, facilities, and administrative support that are not directly charged to grants, but necessary for the research community. The following FAQs from the APLU detail the importance of indirect costs. https://www.aplu.org/wp-content/uploads/frequently-asked-questions-about-facilities-and-administrative-fa-costs-of-federally-sponsored-university-research.pdf

Is the Sponsored Projects office aware of any first No-Cost Extensions (NCE) being approved at NIH, not just allowed to submit, but actually approved?

Have any NIH grants been reduced or have any carryforwards been disallowed?

Notice of Early Expiration of Notices of Funding Opportunities

Supporting Fairness and Originality in NIH Research Applications (NOT-OD-25-132). This Policy is effective for applications submitted to the September 25, 2025 receipt date and beyond. “NIH will not consider applications that are either substantially developed by AI, or contain sections substantially developed by AI, to be original ideas of applicants…NIH will only accept six new, renewal, resubmission, or revision applications from an individual Principal Investigator/Program Director or Multiple Principal Investigator for all council rounds in a calendar year.” How are applications counted going forward?

A PI/PD’s application limit will be counted based on the calendar year of the Advisory Council date when the application is scheduled to be reviewed.

The January 2026 Advisory Council in calendar year 2026 is the first to follow the new Policy and corresponds with scientific review dates in October to November 2025 (Cycle II). For 2027, the application limit resets for applications scheduled to be reviewed at the Advisory Council in January 2027, which corresponds with applications submitted for the May 25, 2026, receipt date or later dates and scientific review dates in October to November 2026.

Applications submitted to receipt dates before the September 25, 2025 receipt date will not be counted towards a PI/PD’s limit for calendar year 2026 and will not be withdrawn if they exceed a PI/MPI’s limit of 6 applications in a calendar year. Applications submitted to the September 25, 2025 receipt date and later dates will be counted towards a PI/PD’s limit for calendar year 2026.

Only applications where the investigator is listed as a PI/PD or MPI count toward the investigator’s yearly limit.

Any of the following applications count towards an PI/PD’s or MPI’s limit of six applications: new, renewal, resubmission, or revision submissions. Administrative supplements, non-competing renewals, Type 4 applications, and Type 7 applications are not counted toward the maximum. The Policy applies to all activity codes except T activity codes, Loan Repayment Programs, X01 Applications that are not Council reviewed, R25s, and R13 Conference Grant Applications. Applications that are withdrawn after peer review count toward the maximum.

For more information on dates for review cycles, including scientific merit review and Advisory Council dates, see: https://grants.nih.gov/grants-process/submit/submission-policies/standard-due-dates.

National Science Foundation (NSF)

The following are just a few of the most pertinent NSF FAQs from the NSF website. Please check the NSF FAQs regularly as new and updated information is posted regularly.

Has NSF paused the implementation of the new 15% indirect cost rate policy?

My award cancellation letter indicates that I am not eligible to appeal. Should I send an appeal request to NSF anyway?

Please clarify if the summary of progress under the award requested in the termination notice from NSF, due 30 days from the termination date, will be in lieu of the final annual project report and final project outcomes report. Or is this a requirement in addition to the final annual project report and final project outcomes report?

My award was terminated on the basis that it "no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities." Can I appeal or seek alternative dispute resolution?

Appeals for terminated awards will not be reviewed or considered. Terminations of awards on the basis that they no longer effectuate program goals or agency priorities are the final agency decision and are not appealable to NSF. In these instances, NSF does not allege a deficiency occurred (e.g., noncompliance with award terms and conditions or research misconduct of the awardee). Because there are no allegations of deficiencies by the awardee to dispute, there are no grounds for agency appeal. Similarly, alternative dispute resolution is not available where terminations were based on effectuation of program goals or agency priorities.

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