Proposed federal research funding regulation revisions

Dear faculty colleagues,

On May 29, 2026, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published a proposed revision to the federal grantmaking framework that could have meaningful implications for the administration of federally funded research. According to OMB, the proposed revisions to the Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance (also known as Uniform Guidance) are intended to “improve transparency, accountability, and oversight for how Federal taxpayer dollars are used in the context of Federal grantmaking.” Several professional and scientific societies and associations have circulated summaries and comments on the proposal, and we encourage you to read them. One overview can be found here.

Northwestern is closely reviewing the proposed changes, which span more than 300 revisions, in coordination with university coalitions such as the Association of American Universities (AAU). There is a 45-day comment period, currently slated to end July 13, 2026, for the proposed rule. AAU has asked that the comment period be extended to 90 days and is developing a substantive response to the specific proposals. Faculty members may consider offering input directly to OMB in their individual capacity or through comment letters being prepared by their relevant scientific and professional societies. The federal government seeks to implement the proposed revisions by Oct. 1, 2026.

The University is closely monitoring a dynamic slate of proposals with the potential to impact our research, including this week’s request for public input from the National Institutes of Health on the outline of a proposal to cap the number of simultaneous research project grants per principal investigator. We will remain engaged in the rulemaking process with our university associations and will share updates as appropriate, including on our Responding to Federal Policies website.

Northwestern is strongly committed to supporting members of our research community, and we welcome any questions or comments you may have, which can be shared via research@northwestern.edu.

Sincerely,

Sumit Dhar
Interim Vice President for Research
Associate Provost for Faculty
Hugh Knowles Professor in Hearing Sciences 

Kathleen Hagerty
Provost
First Chicago Professor of Finance 

Erik Luijten
Provost-elect
Liu-Wang Liming Professor of Materials Science and Engineering