Dear Colleagues,
As you may be aware, congressional budget negotiations to avert a federal government shutdown were unsuccessful. Effective October 1, 2025 at 12:01am, all or portions of the federal government are effectively shut down until an agreement on 2026 budget appropriations can be reached. We know this news can be unsettling and we are committed to keeping you informed so that the impacts felt can be minimized as much as possible.
The University of California (UC) is hopeful that this will be a short-term shutdown and continues to urge the administration and Congress to reach an agreement. We are monitoring the situation closely and will provide more information to our entire campus community, including research labs and health centers, as it becomes available.
If a short-term federal government shutdown occurs, we expect it to have limited, if any, immediate impact on our educational mission, including federal financial aid provided to our students. However, our assessment will change depending on how long a federal government shutdown lasts and guidance from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and each of the federal agencies.
Research Continuity
Researchers with active federally funded grants and contracts should continue their work throughout the shutdown without interruption and all reporting deadlines should be met, unless the project requires significant involvement from federal employees. Research administrative functions on existing awards may be impacted differently for each agency but should continue as normal unless instructed otherwise.
During previous government shutdowns, Grants.gov has remained accessible and the Grants.gov contact center remained open during regular business hours. However, many agencies state in their contingency plans that staff will not respond to any inquiries received, including about upcoming deadlines, proposal preparation and applications during the period of a government shutdown; the inquiries would be deferred until normal operations resume. In addition, the review process for grants would be delayed and functions related to agency accounts (e.g. eRA Commons, NSF IDs) may be delayed.
Our partners in the UC Office of the President Research Policy unit will be posting updates about the shutdown on their website and our office will continue to distribute essential information as necessary during the shutdown. You also can check our key issues page for pertinentFederal Shutdown Updates.
Special Notes
NOTE: Researchers may receive additional instructions directly from federal contracting or program officers. If you receive such information, please notify your contract and grant officer immediately. For more information, email researchadmin@ucsd.edu.
We greatly appreciate your continued patience as we all navigate this challenging situation together. We will continue to communicate with you regularly as updates become available. More detailed information will be posted, as it reaches us, athttps://keyissues.ucsd.edu/federal-government-shutdown/index.html.
Sincerely,
