Office of Research

Federal Shutdown Communications

January 30, 2026

To: Vice Presidents, Deans, Department Heads, and Directors

From: Christopher King, Interim Vice President for Research

Re: Potential for Partial Federal Government Shutdown and UGA Sponsored Projects

Given the possibility of a partial federal government shutdown on Saturday, January 31, 2026, we are closely monitoring developments in Washington, D.C. and evaluating the potential impact on the University of Georgia’s sponsored project activity. However, a continuing resolution or spending bill may be passed before midnight on January 30, 2026, which would continue to fund federal operations for a specified period.

As with previous federal government agency shutdowns, researchers with federally funded research and other sponsored project grants and contracts should continue their work unless the project requires significant involvement from federal employees. Most federal employees are prohibited from emailing or using other forms of external communication during a shutdown. Investigators may receive project-specific instructions from contracting or program officers regarding the shutdown; if you receive such information, please forward it immediately to Jill Tincher (jill.tincher@uga.edu), Executive Director of Sponsored Projects Administration, and Cathy Cuppett (cathya15@uga.edu), Director of Sponsored Projects Administration, Pre-Award.

Although we have not received sponsor-specific guidance on how a partial federal shutdown may impact the submission of new or competing proposals, please continue preparing applications or progress reports for on-time submission. Please monitor sponsor updates for relevant guidance.

A team from the Office of Research and Finance & Administration is developing a phased action plan to safeguard sponsored project activities during a partial shutdown. The plan includes contingency strategies to manage difficulties or delays in federal drawdowns should this situation arise.

We will continue to monitor agency-specific communications and provide updates and guidance via email and this webpage. We remain optimistic that, as with past federal government shutdowns, we will successfully navigate this situation with your assistance and collaboration with our research community.

I appreciate your patience and perseverance. Please direct any questions or concerns to Chris King, Interim Vice President for Research (vpr@uga.edu), or Jill Tincher, Executive Director of Sponsored Projects Administration (jill.tincher@uga.edu).

 

Summary guidance

Proposal submission: Please continue working on all proposals and submit them by their current due dates.

  1. It is anticipated that the grants.gov system will remain available to accept applications during a partial shutdown; however, if you have trouble accessing grants.gov during a shutdown, please contact Jill Tincher (jill.tincher@uga.edu), Executive Director of Sponsored Projects Administration, and Cathy Cuppett (cathya15@uga.edu), Director of Sponsored Projects Administration, Pre-Award.
  2. Some federal help desks will not be staffed during a shutdown.

Active projects: Work should continue under all existing grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, subrecipient agreements, and other funding mechanisms. PIs should continue preparing and submitting all interim and final technical reports and deliverables in accordance with their due dates.

  1. In the unlikely event that any federal sponsor issues a stop-work order, the University will receive a project-specific notice, and the principal investigator and the PI’s UGA department will be notified.
  2. If you receive stop-work orders directly from your sponsor/s, please immediately forward them to Jill Tincher (jill.tincher@uga.edu), Executive Director of Sponsored Projects Administration, and Cathy Cuppett (cathya15@uga.edu), Director of Sponsored Projects Administration, Pre-award.

For any federal agency closed by a shutdown:

  1. No agency-required prior approvals (e.g., second no-cost extensions, significant re-budgeting, or addition of a foreign component) will be considered or approved.
  2. No new awards or incremental awards will be issued.