Dear colleagues,

As federal actions continue to cause significant disruption and concern within our community, please know that our leadership team is working diligently to address the emerging challenges, support our community, and put plans in place so that SPH is as well-positioned as possible to navigate the risks of the moment which grow by the day. In that vein, we will be holding a virtual Open Forum for Faculty and Staff on Friday, February 14.

The destructive proposed NIH restriction on indirect rates, funds that come along with federal research grants to pay for the administration of those grants—facilities, research managers, etc.—went into “effect” yesterday. BUSPH and all other research institutions rely on these funds to perform the science that provides new knowledge to society. If instituted, this change will not only halt scientific innovation worldwide, it will certainly cause harm to members of our community and it is a threat to our values.

The new rate set by this decision has now been challenged in court and hopefully will produce an immediate and parallel order to the current temporary restraining order that prohibits federal agencies from pausing, freezing, impeding, blocking, canceling, or terminating any awards or obligations related to OMB Memorandum M-25-13.

But the uncertainty of the moment obliges us to make plans and think through approaches to our research enterprise and wider school functions. For now, we will halt all new faculty hiring and all hiring for central staff positions. We will, of course, continue with our funded research activities at this time and our commitment to the health of the public.

Our guidance on your activities as of 2/10/25:

  • Continue to advance the mission of the School through your research, teaching, and practice in all the ways you have in the past.
  • Ensure that you continue to publish your research, taking care that your titles, abstracts, and framing prioritize clarity and scientific rigor, focusing on the scientific methods and findings.
  • Continue to be strategic in the preparation and submission of grant applications to obtain the resources necessary to advance your work. Ensure that the presentation of proposed grant activities align with the priorities of the funder. If you are uncertain about how to handle details related to your new grant submissions, please contact Dean Mike McClean who can provide updated advice on your submission.
  • We will continue budgeting BU’s full negotiated indirect rate as appropriate in proposals until further guidance is issued. However, please include this caveat in your budget justification: Boston University requests our current federally negotiated rate, but we will accept the rate approved at the time of award.
  • Do NOT assume that your funded projects include prohibited activities, even if you have received a letter from your federal granting agency. If you are the PI of an existing grant and receive a communication indicating that certain activities must be paused or terminated, please reach out to Dean Mike McClean to discuss before responding to Project Officials or federal agencies.
  • Check for updates on the University site of online resource for updates about the 2025 administration transition. At the University level, we have an outstanding team of experts at the offices of federal relations, general counsel, sponsored programs, and communications who have been providing valuable support to SPH.
  • We should not tolerate harassment via email or social media. If you are the subject of harassment, please reach out to Cara Willis and Dean Ira Lazic for guidance and support. If you or your family are in immediate danger, please call 911 or BUPD.

In other matters:

During this challenging time, I continue to encourage all to engage in our community and have highlighted a few upcoming events below:

In summary, these recent federal actions are purposely causing uncertainty and upset. I deeply value all the members of our community and the organization we have built here at SPH. We are working diligently on behalf of our community and will share additional updates as soon as we are able.

Michael Stein
Dean ad interim
mdstein@bu.edu

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