Can I still submit proposals during a government shutdown?
Office of Research and Innovation
University of Louisville
Louisville, Ky. 40202
502.852.6512, 502.852.2594 (Fax)
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Government Shutdown and Impacts on Sponsored Programs Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Electronic proposal submission portals (e.g., Grants.gov, Research.gov) typically remain available, however, proposals are not processed until normal agency operations resume. Federal agencies will provide guidance on proposal submission systems and deadlines; the Office of Sponsored Programs Administration (OSPA) will continue to submit proposals to the extent submission systems are operable.
Typically, new grants, continuing grant increments, and cooperative agreements will not be awarded, and new contracts and continuing contract increments will not be executed during a shutdown.
Typically, existing grants and cooperative agreements will continue without significant disruption and investigators will continue to expend funds in support of those projects (to the extent previously appropriated funds are available and the period of performance has not expired). However, some agencies may issue stop-work orders on existing contracts on a case-by-case basis, impacting the university’s ability to pay employees from these awards. Investigators should share any stop-work orders or other communications impacting sponsored programs with their unit’s financial representatives and their assigned OSPA specialist and accountant (linked here).
Peer review meetings scheduled to occur during a shutdown period are typically cancelled and rescheduled to a later date. Such cancellations may lead to further delays in the proposal review process after agency operations resume.
Principal Investigators are expected to meet all reporting deadlines outlined in the award requirements; however, some federal reporting systems may not be accessible for submission.
Many federal employees will be furloughed and unable to respond to inquiries or to act on requests that require prior approval (e.g., no-cost extensions, change in scope, etc.). Principal Investigators are encouraged to communicate with program officers and to submit requests requiring prior approval to OSPA as soon as possible and prior to Friday, September 26th.
Payment systems through which grantees draw down funds (e.g., PMS and ASAP) will likely continue to be operational during a government shutdown. However, recent increased scrutiny on grant payment requests has led to additional levels of review, which may not occur during a shutdown period potentially resulting in non-payment until the government reopens.
During a government shutdown, most prior approval requests are halted because federal agency staff are not available to process them. While some routine administrative tasks and automated systems may continue, critical decisions requiring agency approval, such as budget modifications, no-cost extensions, or key personnel changes, typically cannot occur until normal operations resume.
No. During a government shutdown, federal personnel will not be available to support research activities. While individual agencies may provide emergency contact procedures, you should not expect federal staff to be accessible for any routine matters (e.g., project status meetings).
Subrecipients and vendors may be indirectly impacted by a government shutdown if new awards and award modifications are placed on hold. Communicate clearly with subrecipients and vendors about whether they should continue spending and when invoices will be paid. In the case of a prolonged shutdown, the university may need to hold payments to subrecipients and vendors until federal agencies reopen.
Investigators are encouraged to reach out to their unit’s research administrative support team, their associate dean for research, and their assigned OSPA specialist for guidance on any additional questions.
