Dear Colleagues,
The following updates regarding federally funded projects and related administrative issues are shared for your review. Thank you for your continued efforts conducting and/or supporting research at MSU.
Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)
We have been made aware of requests from DOGE to faculty members that appear to bypass agency authorized channels. Two reported scenarios:
- Pressuring a faculty member to defend 4-year-old expenditures
- Asking faculty how they would implement a 20% budget cut
We would like to encourage you to politely ask for the request in writing, and then please reach out to CGA Awards with the request before responding to the DOGE contact.
National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) and requests to modify Statement of Work (SOW) or provide certifications
We are increasingly hearing about direct requests from agency program directors or officers to MSU faculty that involve certifying compliance with institutional or project-related terms* or modifying the project’s SOW or other award terms.
These requests, while often routine in appearance, can carry significant institutional implications. As a best practice, faculty should not sign project certifications and must not sign institutional certifications or agree to changes in award terms on their own. Instead:
- For certifications, we recommend submitting the certification request to the appropriate OSP-CGA Contact. The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) and/or Contract and Grant Administration (CGA) will coordinate with the Office of General Counsel (OGC) as needed to ensure proper review and provide guidance.
- For changes in awards terms, please reach out to:
- OSP Contacts by College if it is related to the initial application or award.
- CGA Awards if it is for an existing award.
In cases where the agency request is limited to minor wording edits to the SOW—and no certification is involved—Principal Investigators (PIs) may consider accepting the changes. However, we ask that any such communication, along with the revised SOW, be forwarded to CGA Awards for awareness and documentation.
For questions or if you are unsure how to proceed, please do not hesitate to reach out directly to the appropriate contact in OSP-CGA.
*Examples of requested certifications may include affirming adherence to new agency priorities, or compliance with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) standards.
NIH Notice of Rescission of Civil Rights Term and Condition of Award
The referenced notice was reposted (issued first June 9 and reposted June 12) and as of today is available at: NIH NOT-OD-25-124.
The notice rescinds an NIH notice that implemented a new Civil Rights term for all grants, cooperative agreements and other transaction awards.
Update on Department of Defense (DoD)
DoD has issued a notice to DoD leaders requiring implementation of a 15% indirect cost cap by November 10, 2025.
As previously communicated, proposals should continue to include the negotiated F&A rate. OSP is not authorized to submit proposals, nor accept awards below the approved rate, and no rebudgeting to reduce F&A costs will be approved.
For current DoD awards, please forward any communication you receive from the sponsor to CGA Awards. Do not reply to DoD, acknowledge receipt, or engage in discussions regarding the notice. CGA will work with you and DoD on next steps when appropriate.
Resources and Reminders
We encourage you to review the Federal Updates Resulting from Administration Transition resource for guidance and support during this time.
Feel free to share this email with MSU colleagues who may benefit from this information. Thank you.
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This listserv shares important updates, including revised policies, training opportunities, sponsor announcements, and technology/system changes. It also distributes the SPA Newsletter and Kuali Research Updates.
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Twila Fisher Reighley
Assoc. VP for research
Sponsored Programs Administration
Michigan State University reighley@msu.edu
