It has been an active few weeks in relation to the news surrounding federal grant support.
On August 25, 2025, Vice Chancellor Wakamoto sent an announcement regarding Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Programs (MFTRPs). Because covered individuals participating in federally funded research and development projects are not permitted to participate in MFTRPs, many federal agencies require covered individuals to certify they are not members of an MFTRP. Vice Chancellor Wakamoto’s announcement describes the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Department of Defense (DoD) requirements and provides internal UCLA resources.
On August 21, 2025, the Supreme Court ruled that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) may terminate $783 million in grants supporting Diversity, Education and Inclusion (DEI). This could impact NIH awards that were originally terminated and subsequently reinstated at UCLA. The Office of Contract and Grant Administration (OCGA) will communicate with impacted Principal Investigators if we receive notices re-terminating awards.
The NIH Director issued several statements over the last few weeks:
- On August 25, 2025, the NIH Director issued a statement on Maximizing and Safeguarding NIH’s Investment in Foreign Collaborations. He notes that:
NIH is not a foreign aid organization and support of international research should deliver both scientific and taxpayer value, as NIH is also tasked with being good stewards of U.S. taxpayer dollars.
To that end, NIH is establishing a set of fundamental principles to guide our research collaborations abroad.
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- All research supported at international sites should have a clear scientific rationale to be conducted in a foreign country rather than in the United States.
- All research supported at international sites should have direct potential to generate knowledge applicable to understanding, improving, or protecting the health of Americans.
We expect additional communication from NIH before the end of September outlining their new model for funding international collaborations.
- On August 22, 2025, the NIH Director issued a statement on the NIH Plan to Drive Gold Standard Science together with the release of a 16-page plan. This is NIH’s implementation of an earlier Executive Order on Restoring Gold Standard Science.
- On August 15, 2025, the NIH Director issued a statement on Advancing NIH’s Mission Through a Unified Strategy | National Institutes of Health (NIH). This statement summarizes current NIH priorities. The statement is not intended to be exhaustive but clarifies specific issues that “currently require additional guidance”. OCGA will do a more in-depth dive at an upcoming Research Administration Forum.
On August 13, 2025, a federal judge ruled that the National Science Foundation (NSF) must restore grants to UCLA that were suspended on August 1, 2025. Affected Principal Investigators have been contacted by OCGA. Additionally, OCGA has informed all subawardees to stop work.