Dear colleagues,

Last Friday, the rally ‘Stand Up for Science’ took place in Boston and 32 cities around the country and the Union of Concerned Scientists and 48 scientific societies released a joint letter to Congress calling for legislators to protect taxpayer-funded research.

In part these actions were a response to the latest from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) which, according to Nature, has begun terminations of research grants that fund active scientific projects because they no longer meet “agency priorities.” NIH staff members are identifying and cancelling grants that include terminology such as “transgender, gender identity, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), environmental justice,” among many others. They are also identifying and canceling grants that might be perceived to discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity.

Additionally, Nature reports that NIH staff are placing current work in one of four categories: projects that solely support DEI-related activities (category one), projects that partially support these activities (category two), projects that do not support these activities but include some DEI-related language (category three) and projects that do not support any DEI activities (category four). The NIH’s 27 institutes and center staff have allegedly been told not issue awards for research in category one. Category two research must be renegotiated with the lead researcher or institution on the grant to remove any DEI activities. According to Nature, if the work cannot be renegotiated, the institute must seek termination of the project. For categories three and four, DEI language must be removed.

Meanwhile the NIH continues to withhold new grants despite lawsuits challenging this action. The NIH keeps a list of study sections that have not been taking place as planned, including ODHS.

In the continuing legal struggles, a recent court decision means that NIH cannot enforce the facilities and administration (F&A or IDC) rate changes at this time. Last week a Federal judge issued preliminary injunction blocking the implementation of the NIH’s Supplemental Guidance to the 2024 NIH Grants Policy Statement on Indirect Cost rates. The ruling affirmed that the disruptions to ongoing research and patient health to impacts on facilities and human capital were irreparable and nationwide.

Guidance from the University Office of Sponsored Programs remains unchanged. Any concerns by PIs about non-renewal of federal grant funding, stop work orders, or notices of funding “pauses” should be directed to Dean McClean. PIs should not take personnel actions in response to anticipated federal funding disruptions without prior consultation with and approval from Sponsored Programs, which Dean McClean will help facilitate. Check for updates on the University’s online resource for updates about the 2025 administration transition. 

All labor requests, travel, and external consultants on unrestricted funds (school money) and discretionary funds continue to fall under the budget controls and a request for approval is required. Please direct any questions to the Associate Dean for Administration and Finance, Dean Lazic at iralazic@bu.edu.

We continue to follow the changing funding landscape and will share additional updates and guidance as we can.  In the meantime, feel free to reach out to me directly if you have questions.

We will be holding another virtual Open Forum for Faculty and Staff on Friday, March 14 at 12:00-1:00pm ET.

Thank you,

Michael Stein
Dean ad interim
mdstein@bu.edu

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