Dear colleagues,
I am reaching out to you about two new policies issued by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Today, the NSF issued a new policy notice regarding indirect costs. The new rate of 15% applies to grants and cooperative agreements awarded to institutions of higher education on or after May 5, 2025. The policy does not apply retroactively to existing awards or award supplements issued before this date. Continuing grant increments will be awarded under the original terms and conditions and are not subject to this policy.
Yesterday, the NIH updated their policy on new foreign subawards. We are awaiting additional guidance from the agency regarding how they will implement this policy on existing subaward agreements.
We are actively monitoring updates from all federal agencies and engaging with our federal delegation to ensure that they understand the impact these changes could have on the University of Iowa. We will reach out to campus if a temporary restraining order (TRO) is issued that prevents implementation of the above-referenced policies.
Please continue to work with the Division of Sponsored Programs about your upcoming submission deadlines and your subaward agreements. We will work with investigators to ensure proposal submissions can move forward following the most recent guidance from federal agencies and institutional leadership.
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.
Thank you,
Lois
Lois Geist
Interim Vice President for Research
This message has been sent to university cabinet; deans; associate deans for research; associate deans for faculty; regular faculty in research, clinical, and tenure tracks (no emeritus, adjunct, or visiting); regular staff in the PR job function with greater than half-time appointments; staff in the Office of the Vice President for Research and its reporting units (org 04); postdoctoral scholars; selected HR and communications leaders on campus; and subscribers to the OVPR monthly newsletter. Please share with your constituents as needed.
