Federal Funding Announcements and Updates

Colleagues,

Thank you for your continued dedication to advancing research and innovation that make a difference for our students, our state, and our world. As many of you know, the current federal funding landscape remains fluid, with implications for research activity across the nation, including here at UCF. We are committed to working with you to navigate through current and future impacts.

One of the current impacts has been the termination of various federal grants. To date, UCF has had 28 awards terminated, representing $21.2 million in direct and flow- through funding, with a total unspent authorized amount of $7.2 million. We know this has disrupted researchers and staff, and we appreciate your compliance with state and federal laws.

I assure you that UCF and the Office of Research are actively monitoring these developments and engaging with researchers and college leadership to prepare a range of potential scenarios. While we don’t yet have all the answers, I want to share how we are thinking about both the immediate and longer-term impacts, and the support we are developing in response.

Short-Term Impacts and Transitions
We recognize that the termination or disruption of federally funded awards can impact students, postdocs, faculty, and staff. To address this, we are working with colleges to ensure they are the first line of support for transition planning and research redirection. The Office of Research is developing a process to capture transition plans and associated expenditures to ensure we are in compliance with federal rules and regulations.

In tandem, we are considering a centrally supported gap funding program to help bridge short-term transitions should termination expand further and make college-level redirection challenging. This funding would not be designed to continue research no longer supported by the federal government but rather aimed to help transition affected individuals. We are considering the fiscal capacity for such a central program so that we are ready to formalize should it become necessary.

Looking Ahead
Many of you are also aware of future potential impacts of the federal dynamics, primarily indirect recovery rate caps and/or measurable reductions in the annual budget authorizations to federal agencies that fund research. While we do not know if these will occur, the Office of Research plans to keep you updated on any notable changes.

I know that some of you are concerned about how these federal dynamics might impact promotion and tenure, including post-tenure review. UCF remains committed to fair assessment of our faculty, based on each individual’s contributions within the university and as a leading scholar and researcher among one’s peers on a national and/or international level.

Continuing the Conversation
We will continue to share updates as more information becomes available and will maintain an open dialogue to help you feel informed and supported. I encourage you to continue to use this webpage for additional resources.

Thank you for all you do to support UCF’s research mission and for the vital role you play in our university’s collective impact.