Research Administration and Finance has created this resource page to keep you, the Northeastern University community, informed. We are posting current communications from funding agencies, the government, and our senior leadership regarding the across the board federal budget reductions (sequestration) that went into effect on March 1, 2013. Click here for broad numbers courtesy of Research America.

RESEARCH

Most federal research budgets at agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and Department of Energy will see a 5 percent budget reduction; defense research is subject to a 7.8 percent reduction. Different agencies are likely to manage programs differently. NIH announced in February that it "likely will reduce the final FY 2013 funding levels of non-competing continuation grants and expects to make fewer competing awards to allow the agency to meet the available budget allocation." Additionally, "although each NIH institute and center will assess allocations within their portfolio to maximize the scientific impact, non-competing continuation awards that have already been made may be restored above the current level as described in NOT-OD-13-002 but likely will not reach the full FY 2013 commitment level described in the notice of award."

March 26, 2013

• Northeastern's Office of Government Relations and Community Affairs has posted an update on sequestration and the most recent continuing resolution approval.

March 12, 2013

• United States Agency for International Development (USAID) addressed grantees regarding effects of the sequestration order. (pdf)

March 7, 2013

• Harold Varmus, director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), emailed grantees and contractors explaining the effect of the Continuing Resolution on current and new grants. (pdf)

March 4, 2013

• NIH Deputy Director, Sally Rockey, Ph.D., sent a letter to the signing officials at NIH-funded institutions about the President’s Sequestration Order. (pdf)
• Announcement from the Deputy Secretary of Energy regarding procurement contracts and financial assistance agreements. (pdf)
• Letter from Health Resources and Services Administration. (pdf)
• Lewis-Burke Associates’ summation of sequestration events. (pdf)
• NASA addressed grantees, contractors, and agreement participants. (pdf)
• FEMA addressed grantees and contractors. (pdf)

March 1, 2013

• Mel Bernstein, Senior Vice Provost for Research and Graduate Education memo to all Faculty, Administrators and Staff. (pdf)
• The President’s Sequestration Order. (pdf)
• OMB sent a report to Congress which provides calculations on budgetary resources that are required to be reduced under sequestration. (pdf)
• Department of Education released additional information on sequestration’s impact on Title IV student financial assistance programs.

Funding Agencies

National Institutes of Health www.nih.gov

• Letter from National Institutes of Health to Signing Officials
• Sequestration Operation Plan
• Grant Site
• Press Office

These programs often allow scientific investigators to remain in the research workforce, achieve research independence and focus their efforts on advancing the health of the nation. Opportunities are available in clinical research, pediatric research, health disparities research, contraception and infertility research, and clinical research for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. Each year, about 1,600 scientists benefit from the more than $70 million NIH invests in their careers through the extramural LRPs.

All eligible researchers and scientists, including women, individuals from underrepresented groups, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply for loan repayment. NIH wants to encourage outstanding health professionals to pursue careers in biomedical, behavioral, social, and clinical research. If you commit at least two years to conducting qualified research funded by a domestic nonprofit organization or U.S. federal, state, or local government entity, NIH may repay up to $35,000 of your qualified student loan debt per year. Loan repayment benefits are in addition to the institutional salary you receive for your research. Please check that you and your research qualify at http://www.lrp.nih.gov/eligibility/index.aspx. If you qualify, the application guide can be accessed at http://www.lrp.nih.gov/apply_here/lrp_application_guide.aspx.

Should you have any questions do not hesitate to contact your institutional contact Deborah Grupp-Patrutz via email at Patrutz@neu.edu or telephone at 617-373-7269.

Per the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Extramural Research (OER):

"The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has mandated that federal agencies implement a federal-wide research performance progress report (RPPR) for submission of required annual or other interim performance reporting on research grant and cooperative agreement awards to standardize recipient reporting on federally-funded research projects." -HHS OER

The three links below provide guidance on the upcoming change from exisiting interim reporting formats to the RPPR.

For general informaton about HHS implementation see this page on the OER site.

For the NIH notice of implementation, see this NIH Notice.

For information on NSF implementation, as well as links to other agencies and some background information see this NSF page.

In another related development, AHRQ has announced a new training opportunity available through its Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA). This award will provide an opportunity for career development support. For more detailed information, go to the following:
AHRQ Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institutional Award (K12)
(RFA-HS-12-001)
Agency forHealthcare Research and QualityApplication
Receipt Date(s): January 30, 2012

Finally, as part of AHRQ’s efforts to implement the Affordable Care Act funding for capacity development and training, stay tuned for announcements and dissemination of information on funding opportunities for career development and training focused on patient-centered outcomes research.