Last Update: October 15, 2026
This page includes recent federal agency announcements and guidance, but is not comprehensive. Updates will be added as new information is made available.
More details can be found through the Federal Agency Updates Digest:
Proposed Changes to the Uniform Guidance
- On May 29, 2026, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposed significant revisions to the Uniform Guidance. Several of the most consequential proposed changes to research are summarized here.
- WashU has submitted a formal letter expressing concerns and opposition to these changes.
- Senate Funding Bill Blocks Immediate Implementation of OMB Uniform Guidance Overhaul
- The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee has released the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2027, a continuing resolution (CR) designed to fund the federal government through December 11, 2026. Importantly for Indian Country, the Senate measure includes a critical provision in Section 157 that delays the OMB’s proposed overhaul of the Uniform Guidance for federal awards.
The White House
October 8, 2026
Fact Sheet: Trump Administration Announces the Most Ambitious Set of Science Initiatives This Century
This White House fact sheet describes initiatives announced at the “Science: A New Golden Age” Summit, including:
- Equipping American scientists with Super Intelligence (SI)
- Replacing DEI with merit across the Federal R&D enterprise
- Bringing back national missions
- Building institutions that accelerate discovery
NIH Funding Policy Updates and Considerations
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.
Changes to NIH K Awards
NOT-OD-26-098: Notice of NIH Updates to Career Development (K) Award Programs
Effective immediately: the requirement for Data Management and Sharing (DMS) Plans is eliminated
Effective for K awards with due dates on or after October 12, 2027, NIH will
- Consolidate individual K notice of funding opportunities (NOFOs)
- Clarify allowable uses of K award funds for clinical trial research activities
NIH Requests for Information
NOT-OD-26-118: Request for Information (RFI): Opportunities to Reduce Administrative Burden in NIH Extramural Research
- NIH is requesting input on administrative requirements, policies, forms, and systems that impose unnecessary or disproportionate burden across the grant lifecycle, while keeping appropriate accountability for federal funds.
- NIH is asking for specific, actionable suggestions, such as simplifying or eliminating requirements, collecting information once or later in the process, using institutional certifications, reusing existing data, using AI tools, and reducing reporting that isn’t used.
Responses may be submitted electronically at Request For Information: Opportunities to Reduce Administrative Burden in NIH Extramural Research by December 8, 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.
Research Security Training
Many sponsors have implemented research security requirements including the NIH, NSF, NASA, DOE, DOD, and USDA). Requirements are outlined in WashU’s Research Security Policy.