Published October 2, 2026, via Research News
This digest highlights recent announcements and updates issued by federal agencies, but is not comprehensive. Regularly check sponsor websites to see all announcements.
The White House
September 29, 2026
Executive Order: Streamlining Access to Government Services through America.gov
- This Executive Order launches America.gov, an artificial intelligence-powered website meant to provide Americans a simpler way to find federal information and services spread across government agencies. Individuals may sign in, communicate in plain language, receive accurate answers, and, where authorized and technically available, complete Government transactions without being required to navigate the websites of multiple agencies.
September 3, 2026
H.R.6500 – Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027
- President Trump signed a stopgap spending bill which delayed the implementation of an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposed rule on federal grantmaking that would give political appointees and agencies more say in awarding or terminating grants. The bill prohibits OMB from finalizing or implementing the rule through December 11, 2026.
Department of Energy (DOE)
August 5, 2026
Directive: Scientific Integrity
- DOE updated its directive on scientific integrity to protect “alternative” and “dissenting” scientific opinions and to integrate “gold standard science.”
Department of Energy (DOE)
August 12, 2026
Constitutionality of the National Science Foundation’s STEM Programs
- DOJ ruled that the National Science Foundation can no longer administer three programs (the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation program, Improving Undergraduate STEM Education program, and the Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate program) meant to boost racial and ethnic diversity in science, technology, engineering and math fields because they were unconstitutionally considering race or gender.
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
September 28, 2026
NOT-OD-26-131: NIH Operates Under a Continuing Resolution
- The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), including NIH, operates under the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027 signed by President Trump on September 2, 2026. This Act (CR) continues government operations through December 11, 2026 at the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 enacted level. The CR also prohibits NIH from implementing the revisions to the Uniform Administrative Requirements for Federal Awards, through December 11, 2026.
September 21, 2026
NOT-OD-27-001: Request for Information on Feasibility of Annual Reporting of Live Vertebrate Animal Numbers
- NIH’s Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) seeks input on feasibility, current capabilities, expected benefits, and expected burdens associated with yearly reporting of the number of live, vertebrate animals subject to and defined by the Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.
- Comments on this Notice must be received no later than December 21, 2026.
August 27, 2026
NOT-OD-26-113: Request for Information: Draft NIH Policy on Sharing Summary Level Study Results with Clinical Research Participants
- NIH is seeking public comment on requiring researchers and institutions conducting NIH-supported clinical research to share summary-level study results with research participants in plain language.
- Comments are due October 26, 2026.
August 14, 2026
NOT-OD-26-088: Request for Information (RFI) on Proposed Changes to Reporting Outcomes from NIH Peer Review
- NIH is seeking public comment on proposed changes to reporting outcomes where applicants would no longer receive the final overall impact score or the percentile ranking for their application. In their place, NIH would report one of three categories:
- “Most competitive” (based on the top 25% of final overall impact scores),
- “Competitive” (based on the 26-50% of final overall impact scores), or
- “Not discussed” (scores >50%, or ND)
- Comments are due October 13, 2026.
August 12, 2026
NOT-OD-26-097: Supporting a Safe and Respectful Workplace at Institutions that Receive NIH Funding
- This notice mandates that recipient institutions complete ongoing misconduct investigations even if the personnel under investigation depart. Furthermore, the policy authorizes the NIH to share investigation findings and conclusions regarding workplace misconduct with other recipient institutions when evaluating funding decisions.
NOT-OD-26-098: Notice of NIH Updates to Career Development (K) Award Programs
- NIH is updating its Career Development (K) Award programs. These updates include:
- Consolidating individual K notice of funding opportunities (NOFOs)
- Eliminating the requirement for data management and sharing (DMS) plans on Ks
- Clarifying allowable uses of K award funds for clinical trial research activities.
- The updates are intended to improve consistency, reduce administrative burden, and align policies across K award programs, beginning with due dates on or after October 12, 2027.
NOT-OD-26-095: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI): INPUT ON POTENTIAL NIH FUNDING APPROACHES TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF FUTURE CLINICAL TRIAL INVESTIGATORS
- NIH sought public input on potential funding models that would allow recipients of mentored K awards to serve as principal investigators (PIs) of clinical trials while receiving support for the clinical trial through a funding mechanism separate from the K award.
National Science Foundation (NSF)
September 10, 2026
NSF leadership in a new golden age of science
- NSF issued a memo signaling it will devote the bulk of its resources to addressing the research priorities of President Donald Trump and his administration, many of them technology focused, consistent with Science: A New Golden Age.
- NSF announced a $47 million investment over five years, along with additional financial commitments from nearly three dozen universities and private industry, to launch a pilot of a new four-year Ph.D. model that will provide more than 250 doctoral students nationwide with hands-on experience in industry research and development as part of their graduate education.
U.S. Department of Education
August 3, 2026
U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon Issues National Call to Action to University Presidents and Governing Boards
- U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon issued a national call to action to university presidents and governing boards, urging them to reaffirm higher education’s foundational commitments to academic excellence, pathbreaking research, and national service. Every postsecondary institution must publish, by the end of 2026, a clear public statement outlining its commitment to implementing reforms that will help restore public trust in higher education.
& In Case You Missed It…
NOT-OD-26-100: Implementation Update: NIH Data Management and Sharing Plan Requirements
- Beginning in FY 2027, NIH will require all existing awards and applications subject to the NIH Data Management Sharing (DMS) Policy to transition and align with the updated DMS Plan format. This requirement applies regardless of when the competing application was submitted.
- Consistent with NIH burden reduction efforts and the implementation of the updated DMS Plan format, recipients will no longer be required to obtain prior approval to modify an approved DMS Plan. As such, NIH plans to retire the DMS Prior Approval Request type in the eRA Commons Prior Approval Module.
- Effective October 1, 2026, recipients must use the RPPR (Section C.5.c.) to report progress on data sharing activities and notify NIH of changes to an approved DMS Plan, such as changes in scientific direction, data repositories, or sharing timelines.
NOT-OD-26-094: NIH Is Replacing Letters of Support with Letters of Collaboration to Reduce Administrative Burden
- With the implementation of Forms J in Fiscal Year 2027, the NIH will follow the format of the NSF and will no longer allow letters of support but will instead require letters of collaboration to document any collaborative relationships with individuals that are not identified in the application as senior/key personnel or other significant contributors. Because senior/key personnel and other significant contributors must provide biosketches in the application, letters of collaboration from them are unnecessary and burdensome.
- Letters designed to endorse the application without an intent to collaborate or provide material support will no longer be permitted in NIH grant applications. Letters of collaboration should not be provided from trainees or staff in the laboratory of the Program Director/Principal Investigator(s), including graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and technicians.
- Letters of collaboration should be limited to stating the intent to collaborate or provide material support as described in the application and should not contain endorsements or additional information about or evaluations of the proposed project. An individual letter of collaboration must not exceed 100 words. View the notice for NIH’s recommendations for letters of collaboration.
NIH Submitting Applications with International Collaborations
- Beginning with application due dates on or after September 25, 2026, applicants proposing foreign collaborations to one of our participating specialized NOFOs can leverage the application forms and structure of the PF5 Parent, but follow the due dates, opportunity requirements, review criteria, and other aspects of the specialized NOFO-of-interest (Parent PF5 Leveraging Model Instructions).
NSF Dear Colleague Letter: Prohibition on Collaborations with Restricted Entities
- This policy bans using NSF funds for research with groups on federal restricted lists, stops key researchers from taking money or jobs from those groups, and shifts policy from case reviews to a full ban.
- NSF plans to revise its current guidance to include the following:
- NSF appropriated funds shall not be used for grants, contracts, other transactions or other assistance to an organization if the purpose is to conduct research in collaboration with restricted entities. This funding prohibition also extends to the employees of such restricted entities.
- Senior/key personnel are prohibited from holding an appointment or position with, or receiving research support from, a restricted entity. Further, senior/key personnel are prohibited from collaborating with a restricted entity, or employee thereof, on research funded by their NSF award.
If you have agency updates you would like to add to future digests, email rei@wusm.wustl.edu.