Dear colleagues,
I’m reaching out to provide you with our latest guidance on the federal transition as it pertains to the UI research community.
As was reported in Science earlier this week, the NIH has begun hosting virtual study sections, including panels that include UI investigators. We are encouraged that this core function of the NIH funding programs is moving forward.
Overall, the federal transition continues to be a rapidly changing environment. We are working closely with our partners to monitor and interpret the latest updates and communicate with impacted investigators.
For the majority of our campus, researchers may continue work on their federal projects unless they are instructed not to by a federal agency (e.g. a stop work order).
However, given the complexity of the Executive Orders and agency memos received this week, and their implementation, researchers and departments may wish to exert extra caution and defer starting new activities until we have more clarity. This is particularly true if the subject matter is closely related to impacted activities under one or more of the Executive Orders (DEI, gender ideology, etc). As we learn more, we may be in a better position to determine next steps.
If you have project-specific questions, or receive communication directly from a federal agency, please continue to communicate with the Division of Sponsored Programs at dsp@uiowa.edu.
We will continue to post updates, including this message, to our website Federal Updates 2025.
Thank you for your continued patience. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us at any time with questions.
Lois Geist
Interim Vice President for Research
