UAB leadership continues to work diligently with government relations professionals and meets regularly to monitor, assess and address rapidly evolving developments related to recent executive orders and guidance. A federal judge temporarily stopped the announced 15% cap on NIH indirect costs last week, and we expect to know more following a hearing in federal court on Feb. 21.
Researchers with specific operational questions about their proposals, projects, or funding because of the executive orders or communications from federal agencies should reach out to the appropriate UAB officials:
- For questions about preparing budgets for research proposals, reach out to the Office of Sponsored Programs (osp@uab.edu). At this time, indirect costs should be calculated and proposed based on UAB’s current federally negotiated rate agreement.
- For questions about expenditures on existing awards, reach out to the Office of Grants and Contracts Accounting (fa-grantsaccting@uab.edu).
- Unless specific alternative guidance has been provided, hiring, travel, and other operating expenditures may proceed as normal through appropriate approval channels.
- Principal investigators, award managers or fiscal officers who believe an existing award may be impacted by an executive order should use this internal UAB form to share pertinent information and to request individualized guidance.
- Standard protocols should be followed should any principal investigator or research staff member receive notice of a site visit, audit, program review, stop-work order, or other official administrative correspondence related to an award from a funding agency. In addition to the chair/dean/fiscal officer, the Office of Sponsored Programs (osp@uab.edu) and central Office of Grants and Contracts Accounting (fa-grantsaccting@uab.edu) should also promptly be notified.
