Navigating the Federal Transition
Agency Updates and Guidance
As the Trump administration begins implementing policy priorities, Executive Orders are being issued, requiring federal agencies to review their programs for alignment.
As federal agencies and sponsors make changes or notify us of updates to specific research projects, the UD Research Office will keep you informed with guidance, updates and relevant resources.
If you receive information useful for this page, please forward it to udresearch@udel.edu.
This page will be updated as new information is received.
Proposals
- Continue to submit proposals — federal agencies are accepting proposals and their systems are operational.
- Sponsor review timelines may be extended as the federal agencies navigate new policy requirements.
NIH GUIDANCE
NIH grants and funding policies and processes are evolving as the agency aligns with new priorities. To stay informed about changes impacting NIH grants administration and funding we encourage you to visit the NIH Grants and Funding Information Status page regularly, as it is updated with new information as it becomes available. Updates cover key areas including communications, applications, review, awards, and reporting.
What You Should Do:
- Check the proposal solicitation for any updated guidance.
- Reconfirm the application deadline.
- Sign up for funding alerts from the sponsor if available.
UD LEADERSHIP MESSAGES
From the Office of the President
and the Research Office
- UD RESEARCH OFFICE
Federal Funding Updates – April 25, 2025
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Federal Funding Updates – April 18, 2025
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Federal Funding Updates – April 11, 2025
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Federal Funding Updates – April 4, 2025
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Federal Funding Updates – March 21, 2025
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Federal Funding Updates – March 14, 2025
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Federal Funding Updates – March 7, 2025
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Federal Funding Updates – Feb. 28, 2025
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Federal Funding Updates – Feb. 21, 2025
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Federal Funding Updates – Feb. 14, 2025
View Email > - OFFICE OF THE UD PRESIDENT
UPDATE: Recent Executive Orders – Feb. 13, 2025
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Federal Funding: NIH Guidance – Feb. 10, 2025
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Federal Funding Updates – Feb. 7, 2025
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Federal Transition Webpage for UD Researchers – Jan. 31, 2025
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Update: Federal Pause Rescinded; Agency Updates – Jan. 29, 2025
View Email > - UD RESEARCH OFFICE
Update: Navigating the Evolving Research Landscape – Jan. 28, 2025
View Email > - OFFICE OF THE UD PRESIDENT
Recent Executive Orders – Jan. 28, 2025
View Email > - UD RESEARCH OFFICE
Initial Impacts of Recent Executive Orders on University Research – Jan. 23, 2025
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Have you received a federal funding delay notification?
Awards
- The terms and conditions of your executed award remain enforceable so long as your award is active. This includes the ability to invoice and receive reimbursement.
DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility) Activities
- Federal agencies have issued notices to immediately cease all DEIA activities associated with awarded federally funded projects. Affected activities include, but are not limited to:
- DEIA/Promoting Inclusive and Equitable Research (PIER) plan requirements
- Training and reporting
- Staffing considerations
- Other direct or indirect award activities
NIH GUIDANCE
NIH grants and funding policies and processes are evolving as the agency aligns with new priorities. To stay informed about changes impacting NIH grants administration and funding we encourage you to visit the NIH Grants and Funding Information Status page regularly, as it is updated with new information as it becomes available. Updates cover key areas including communications, applications, review, awards, and reporting.
What You Should Do:
- We are not recommending changes in grant activities unless you receive a specific stop-work order or modification of your award.
- If you receive such a notification, immediately contact your contracts and grants (C&G) analyst in the Research Office or Jeff Friedland, associate vice president for research administration, for further guidance.
- Important Note about NIH No-Cost Extensions: NIH has re-enabled the option to process a first-time no-cost extension.
Research Compliance
- We anticipate updates to Research Compliance requirements for awards. These changes could either be implemented directly by a federal agency or sponsor or may require an amendment on a project-by-project basis. We will share any information we receive with you. You may also receive instructions directly from your Program Officer. It is crucial to act swiftly to ensure compliance with any new requirements, as failure to do so could jeopardize funding. If you need assistance managing research compliance matters related to research security/export control, please contact Sean Hayes, interim associate vice president for regulatory affairs.
- We anticipate updates to award reporting requirements. These changes could either be implemented directly by a federal agency or sponsor or may require an amendment on a project-by-project basis. We will share any information we receive with you; you may also receive instructions directly from your program officer. It is crucial to act swiftly to ensure you are complying with any new reporting requirements, as failure to do so could jeopardize funding. If you need assistance managing any requests, please contact your unit’s contracts and grants analyst or Jeff Friedland, associate vice president for research administration.
- If specific programs are terminated or restructured, you may encounter difficulties accessing funds or meeting new criteria. Federal agencies managing these programs will typically issue guidance on how to proceed. We will pass information along promptly if/when received.
- If a program or initiative is reduced or defunded, there could be delays or pauses in payments for existing grants under those programs. While this is rare, it may occur if funding for a program is rescinded or redirected.
What You Should Do:
- Ensure you understand the terms of your grant agreement, especially clauses related to funding availability and reimbursement.
- Closely monitor obligated budget balances to avoid deficits while awaiting future obligations. Anticipated future funding remains subject to availability of funds and should not be considered guaranteed.
- Stay in touch with your program or grant officer to confirm there are no changes affecting your award.
Prioritize the submission of any reports or deliverables that may be past due. - Keep an eye out for announcements from the federal agency overseeing your grant for any updates on funding or compliance requirements.
Executive Orders
An Executive Order directs government operations and has the force of law. The Executive Orders under the new administration are listed below. This White House webpage includes a complete list of Executive Orders and other presidential actions.
April 2025 Executive Order Listing
Below is a listing of Executive Orders announced in April 2025.
- Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals and Resources (4/24/25)
- Strengthening Probationary Periods in the Federal Service (4/24/25)
- Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth (4/23/25)
- Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy (4/23/25)
- Reinstating Common Sense School Discipline Policies (4/23/25)
- Preparing Americans for High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs of the Future (4/23/25)
- White House Initiative to Promote Excellence and Innovation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (4/23/25)
- Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education (4/23/25)
- Transparency Regarding Foreign Influence at American Universities (4/23/25)
- Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness (4/17/25)
- Ensuring Commercial, Cost-Effective Solutions in Federal Contracts (4/16/25)
- Restoring Common Sense to Federal Office Space Management (4/15/25)
- Ensuring National Security and Economic Resilience Through Section 232 Actions on Processed Critical Minerals and Derivative Products (4/15/25)
- Lowering Drug Prices by Once Again Putting Americans First (4/15/25)
- Restoring Common Sense to Federal Procurement (4/15/25)
- Modifying Reciprocal Tariff Rates to Reflect Trading Partner Retaliation and Alignment (4/9/25)
- Addressing Risks from Susman Godfrey (4/9/25)
- Modernizing Defense Acquisitions and Spurring Innovation in the Defense Industrial Base (4/9/25)
- Restoring America’s Maritime Dominance (4/9/25)
- Reducing Anti-Competitive Regulatory Barriers (4/9/25)
- Zero-Based Regulatory Budgeting to Unleash American Energy (4/9/25)
- Reforming Foreign Defense Sales to Improve Speed and Accountability (4/9/25)
- Amendment to Reciprocal Tariffs and Updated Duties as Applied to Low-Value Imports from the People’s Republic of China (4/9/25)
- Maintaining Acceptable Water Pressure in Showerheads (4/9/25)
- Reinvigorating America’s Beautiful Clean Coal Industry and Amending Executive Order 14241 (4/8/25)
- Protecting American Energy From State Overreach (4/8/25)
- Strengthening the Reliability and Security of the United States Electric Grid (4/8/25)
- Extending the TikTok Enforcement Delay (4/4/25)
March 2025 Executive Order Listing
Below is a listing of Executive Orders announced in March 2025.
- Designating English as the Official Language of The United States (3/1/25)
- Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production (3/1/25)
- Addressing the Threat to National Security from Imports of Timber, Lumber (3/1/25)
- Amendment to Duties to Address the Situation at Our Southern Border (3/2/25)
- Further Amendment to Duties Addressing the Synthetic Opioid Supply Chain in the People’s Republic of China (3/3/25)
- Honoring Jocelyn Nungaray (3/5/25)
- Amendment to Duties to Address the Flow of Illicit Drugs Across our Norther Border (3/6/25)
- Addressing Risks from Perkins Cole LLP (3/6/25)
- Amendment to Duties to Address the Flow of Illicit Drugs Across our Souther Border (3/6/25)
- Establishment of the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and United States Digital Asset Stockpile (3/6/25)
- Establishing the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026 (3/7/25)
- Restoring Public Service Loan Forgiveness (3/7/25)
- Additional Recissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions (3/14/25)
- Addressing Risks from Paul Weiss (3/14/25)
- Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy (3/14/25)
- Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities (3/20/25)
- Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production (3/20/25)
- Eliminating Waste and Saving Taxpayer Dollars by Consolidating Procurement (3/20/25)
- Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos (3/20/25)
- Addressing Remedial Action by Paul Weiss (3/21/25)
- Imposing Tariffs on Countries Importing Venezuelan Oil (3/24/25)
- Modernizing Payments To and From America’s Bank Account (3/25/25)
- Protecting America’s Bank Account Against Fraud, Waste, and Abuse (3/25/25)
- Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections (3/25/25)
- Addressing Risks from Jenner & Block (3/25/25)
- Executive Grant of Clemency for Devon Archer (3/26/25)
- Addressing Risks From WilmerHale (3/27/25)
- Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History (3/27/25)
- Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs (3/27/25)
- Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful (3/28/25)
- Establishing the United States Investment Accelerator (3/31/25)
- Combating Unfair Practices in the Live Entertainment Market (3/31/25)
- Combating Unfair Practices in the Live Entertainment Market (3/31/25)
February 2025 Executive Order Listing
Below is a listing of Executive Orders announced in February 2025.
- Imposing Duties to Address the Situation at Our Southern Border (2/1/25)
- Imposing Duties to Address the Synthetic Supply Chain in the People’s Republic of China (2/1/25)
- Imposing Duties to Address the Flow of Illicit Drugs Across Our Northern Border (2/1/25)
- Progress on the Situation on Our Southern Border (2/3/25)
- A Plan for Establishing a United States Sovereign Wealth Fund (2/3/25)
- Progress on the Situation at Our Northern Border (2/3/25)
- National Security Presidential Memorandum/NSPM-2 (2/4/25)
- Withdrawing the United States from and Ending Funding to Certain United Nations Organizations and Reviewing United States Support to All International Organizations (2/4/25)
- Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports (2/5/25)
- Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias (2/6/25)
- Imposing Sanctions on the International Criminal Court (2/6/25)
- Protecting Second Amendment Rights (2/7/25)
- Establishment of the White House Faith Office (2/7/25)
- Addressing Egregious Actions of the Republic of South Africa (2/7/25)
- Eliminating the Federal Executive Institute (2/10/25)
- Pausing Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Enforcement to Further American Economic and National Security (2/10/25)
- Implementing the Presidents’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Workforce Optimization Initiative (2/11/25)
- One Voice for America’s Foreign Relations (2/12/25)
- Establishing the President’s Make America Healthy Again Commission (2/13/25)
- Establishing National Energy Dominance Council (2/14/25)
- Keeping Education Accessible and Ending COVIE-19 Mandated in Schools (2/15/25)
- Expanding Access to In Vitro Fertilization (2/18/25)
- Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies (2/18/25)
- Ensuring Lawful Governance and Implementing the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Deregulatory Initiative (2/19/25)
- Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy (2/19/25)
- Addressing the Threat to National Security from Import of Copper (2/25/25)
- Making America Healthy Again by Empowering Patients with Clear, Accurate and Actionable Healthcare Pricing Information (2/25/25)
- Implementing the President’s “Department of Government Efficiency” Cost Efficiency Initiative (2/26/25)
January 2025 Executive Order Listing
Below is a listing of Executive Orders announced in January 2025.
- Unleashing American Energy (1/20/25)
- Declaring a National Energy Emergency (1/20/25)
- Putting America First in International Environmental Agreements (1/20/25)
- Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential (1/20/25)
- Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government (1/20/25)
- Restoring Accountability to Policy-Influencing Positions Within the Federal Workforce (1/20/25)
- Holding Former Government Officials Accountable for Election Interference and Improper Disclosure of Sensitive Governmental Information” (1/20/25)
- Reforming the Federal Hiring Process and Restoring Merit to Government Service (1/20/25)
- Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing (1/20/25)
- Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government (1/20/25)
- Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness (1/20/25)
- Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship (1/20/25)
- America First Policy Directive to the Secretary of State (1/20/25)
- Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid (1/20/25)
- Withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization (1/20/25)
- Clarifying the Military’s Role in Protecting the Territorial Integrity of the United States (1/20/25)
- Realigning the United States Refugee Admissions Program (1/20/25)
- Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship (1/20/25)
- Securing Our Borders (1/20/25)
- Restoring the Death Penalty and Protecting Public Safety (1/20/25)
- Protecting the American People Against Invasion (1/20/25)
- Designating Cartels and Other Organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (1/20/25)
- Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats (1/20/25)
- Application of Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act to TikTok (1/20/25)
- Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions (1/20/25)
- Designation of Ansar Allah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (1/22/25)
- Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence (1/23/25)
- Declassification of Records Concerning the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1/23/25)
- Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology (1/23/25)
- Enforcing the Hyde Amendment (1/24/25)
- Emergency Measures to Provide Water Resources in California and Improve Disaster Response in Certain Areas (1/24/25)
- Council to Assess the Federal Emergency Management Agency (1/24/25)
- The Iron Dome for America (1/27/24)
- Restoring America’s Fighting Force (1/27/25)
- Prioritizing Military Excellence and Readiness (1/27/25)
- Reinstating Service Members Discharged Under The Military’s COVID-19 Vaccination Mandate (1/27/25)
- Protecting Children from Chemical and Military Mutilation (1/28/25)
- Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunities for Families (1/28/25)
- Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling (1/29/25)
- Celebrating America’s 250th Birthday (1/29/25)
- Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism (1/29/25)
Federal Agency Guidance
As federal agencies issue official guidance and updates, more sections will be added below.
Department of Agriculture
- 1/21/25 Memorandum:
Hiring, Regulatory and Obligation of Funding Moratoriums - 1/23/25 NIFA Notice:
Funding Opportunities Under Review
Department of Defense
- 1/28/25 Release:
Department of Defense Statement Clarifying Defense Contracting
Department of Energy (DOE)
- 1/28/25 Memo: Executive Order Update to PIER Plan Requirement
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), including National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- 3/25/25: Implementation of New Initiatives and Policies Page Now Available
- 3/25/25: Reviewer Guidance for the Simplified Review Framework
- 3/25/25: Find NIH Funding Information More Quickly and Easily with RCDC’s New Look and Feel
- 3/25/25: Explore a Typical NIH Funding Opportunity
- 3/25/25: Tips Before You Submit: Away For a Bit? Delegate Your Tasks in eRA Commons
- 3/25/25: How Can You Effectively Prepare NIH Research Project Grant Applications for Due Dates in 2025 and Beyond?
- 1/21/25 Memo: Immediate Pause on Issuing Documents and Public Communication
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
- 2/6/25 Memorandum: Initial Guidance Regarding Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government Executive Order
- 1/30/25 Memorandum: Initial Guidance Regarding President Trump’s Executive Order Defending Women
- 1/23/25 Memorandum: Initial Guidance Regarding Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility (DEIA) Executive Orders
National Science Foundation (NSF)
UD Research Community FAQs
- Any word on the Department of Defense funding? I have not been able to find anything online.
ANSWER: The Department of Defense released this information about projects and contracts on 1/28/25. - I am wondering if the email we received about grants should be considered to include similar uncertainties for the NSF GSRF. I am of course hoping to hear that _that_ at least is safe.
ANSWER: NSF has released this webpage where a webform is available for asking questions.