Executive Actions and Federally Sponsored Research
The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (OVCR), in coordination with the Office of Federal Affairs (OFA), is carefully reviewing recent executive communications and actions from the new presidential administration that could potentially affect research operations at Carolina.
We are working in lockstep 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.
As the situation evolves:
- 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.
- If you receive a a stop-work order, please direct all agency correspondence to SponsoredPrograms@unc.edu and coordinate with the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) in all stop-work situations. OSP will review the stop-work order and clarify which transactions are allowable and which cannot be charged during the stop-work period.
Additional proposal and project-specific guidance on executive actions for federally funded programs and stop-work orders can be found on the OSP website.
Visit the Office of Federal Affair’s Trump Administration Transition Resources webpage for latest updates on federal policies and executive orders.
These sites will be updated regularly.
OVCR Office Hours: March 25, 2025
To provide an update on the dynamic federal research funding landscape, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (OVCR) invites all members of the research community to a special session of OVCR Office Hours, an open forum on research operations and administration.
Register to Attend
Registration is required for Zoom link
If you’re having difficulty registering, please use the format onyen@email.unc.edu for your email address
Submit Questions
Questions encouraged, please submit them in advanced to OVCROfficeHours@unc.edu
Session Agenda
OVCR leadership will provide the latest information on the federal funding landscape.
There will be a dedicated Q&A session for attendees to ask questions.
Current OVCR Guidance
03/21/2025: Provost Update on Department of Education Executive Order
03/17/2025: OVCR Office Hours Summary — a recap of the OVCR Office Hours webinar held on March 13 (this is an internal page, ONYEN login required)
03/09/2025: OVCR Office Hours Summary — a recap of the OVCR Office Hours webinar held on March 6 (this is an internal page, ONYEN login required)
03/05/2025: OVCR Update on Federal Funding Programs, March 5
03/04/2025: OVCR Office Hours Summary — a recap of the OVCR Office Hours webinar held on Feb. 26 (this is an internal page, ONYEN login required)
Previous OVCR GuidanceCurrent Federal Updates
3/05/2025: A federal court judge in Massachusetts granted a nationwide preliminary injunction against the NIH’s proposed indirect costs rate cap of 15%. This injunction extends the judge’s earlier prohibition on implementing the cap, and therefore the University may continue to use the normal rates pursuant to our negotiated indirect cost rate agreement.
Previous Federal UpdatesHelpful Information from Partner Associations
APLU, AAU, & ACE Statement On Legal Challenge to the Administration’s Cut to NIH Research