The University plays a vital role in conducting federally funded research across a wide range of disciplines and collaborations. In doing so, we maintain close partnerships with the National Institutes of Health and other agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services. The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (OVCR), in coordination with the Office Federal Affairs (OFA), is carefully reviewing recent executive communications and actions from the new presidential administration that could potentially affect research operations at Carolina.
It is important to remember that it is common for new administrations to pause existing programs and policies during transitions as they onboard new agency leadership and review policy objectives.
Our University leadership team is actively monitoring developments within the executive branch and maintaining open lines of communication with our congressional delegation and federal officials. We are currently assessing potential impacts on our research enterprise to ensure we are well prepared for any necessary adjustments.
To share what we know with the research community, we have altered the agenda for our planned OVCR Office Hours webinar on Monday, January 27th at 1p.m., and we will start the session with updates from OFA and OVCR on where the situation stands. We understand the unknowns in this dynamic situation may cause concern. If you have specific questions you would like to have addressed during Office Hours, please submit them to OVCROfficeHours@unc.edu.
We will continue to provide updates as new details become available.
Penny Gordon-Larsen
Vice Chancellor for Research
W.R. Kenan, Jr. Distinguished Professor