Dear Carolina Research Community,
As many of you may have seen, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released Memorandum 25-13, on Monday, Jan. 27, that directs federal agencies to “temporary pause agency grant, loan, and other financial assistance programs.”
The specific guidance on which projects would be affected is unclear. Because the memo was issued late yesterday, federal agencies have not yet had time to review and issue guidance on how this will affect their programs.
We are working with partners in our NC delegations, advocacy associations, and partner institutions to gain more information and will share it as we receive it. Until the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research issues specific guidance directing a change in status, we advise research teams to continue working on your projects as normal. To date, we have not received any direction or information on funding cuts.
We understand that this can be a stressful time, and it is difficult to not to be concerned, but we urge patience until we can determine and confirm any action or direction directly from agencies. We hope to gain more clarity from our federal partners soon and will will provide information as it becomes available.
If you receive information regarding a pause, change, or impact on your federally funded research from an agency, please reach out to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research at vcr@unc.edu so that we may provide clarity and assistance. You can also use this email to ask questions, and we will answer to the best of our ability.
We are committed to ensuring stability in our programs to the greatest extent possible and will continue providing more information as it becomes available. A webpage on research.unc.edu will soon be available that will list guidance from agencies as we receive that information and relevant campus instructions.
Penny Gordon-Larsen
Vice Chancellor for Research
Andy Johns
Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Research
Kelly Dockham
Director, Office of Federal Affairs