Due to a lapse in appropriated funding and the government’s failure to put a continuing resolution into place for fiscal year 2014, the federal government is under a partial shutdown, beginning at 12:00a.m. on Tuesday, October 1, 2013. Absent specific direction from sponsors, UNH is following the guidance sponsors already provided in their published contingency plans as well as the Office of Management and Budget Memorandum for the heads of Executive Departments and Agencies on Planning for Agency Operations during a Potential Lapse in Appropriations.    

The rest of this document outlines our current expectations for continuing Sponsored Research work at UNH. 

How will the lack of appropriations impact my research?

• In most circumstances, research funded under a grant or cooperative agreement may continue to the extent that funding is available and access to federal staff and facilities is not required.
• Research funded under a contract will generally be shut down if funded under a current appropriation, or ongoing federal monitoring or access to federal facilities is required.  Please contact your SPA GCA if you receive a Stop Work Order on your contract.
• Communications with federal offices likely will not be possible.
• Even when funding exists, reimbursement of UNH’s working capital may be delayed.
• New applications will be delayed.

My available funding is about to expire or run out, will the government release my next committed year of funding?  

No.  The agency staff required to process that funding are not excepted staff and will have been furloughed. Your RC-unit, however, may request that SPA establish a Not Fully Executed (NFE) account in anticipation of this funding becoming available. As always, expenditures under an NFE are considered at-risk until an award is made.

Can I submit a proposal during the appropriations lapse?

Agencies are handling this question differently, for example:

The NIH, which has a significant back end eRA system of its own, is advising against the submission of proposals during the funding lapse and suggests that the safest course is to wait to submit any application to NIH until after operations resume and a Notice in the NIH Guide concerning adjusted submission dates is posted.

The NSF’s Fastlane and Research.gov sites will not be available during the lapse.

NASA's proposal system NSPIRES and the Department of Justice's Grants Management System are still available but might be taken offline if a continuing resolution isn’t in place soon.

Most agencies advise that all but excepted operations will be shut down, so it is unlikely that a proposal submitted during the appropriations lapse will even be received until after operations are resumed. Excepted operations are generally limited to activities required to preserve life and property.

Can UNH expect to receive grant payments during lapsed appropriations?

The answer to this question can vary both by agency and by grant. Payments that can be made via an automated system will continue to be processed as long as edit checks and limit controls are not triggered. Payments requiring review by a federal official will be delayed until after the lapse is resolved.

Please contact your Grant and Contract Administrator with any questions.