Latest Federal Funding Updates
5/21/25: Message From VP Twilley
Over the past few months, we have been tracking and responding to many federal actions. This week, we also learned LSU President William F. Tate IV will be the new president of Rutgers University and that Matt Lee, vice president for agriculture and dean of the LSU College of Agriculture, will step in as interim on July 1.
This is where we are in research at LSU—
As of now, LSU A&M has had 16 sponsored projects terminated. With support from LSU leadership, and when allowed by the funding agency, we continue to submit appeals.
The most recent updates on indirect costs include the National Science Foundation temporarily pausing its implementation of a 15% indirect cost rate cap until a scheduled hearing on June 13. Meanwhile, the Department of Defense has announced plans to cap indirect cost rates at 15% for all new grants to universities.
I remain optimistic that LSU’s research enterprise will remain strong, particularly because LSU A&M’s total award amount as of April is $180 million, an increase of $36 million compared to this time last year. We look forward to working with LSU leadership to build on the successes of LSU’s Scholarship First Agenda and increase LSU’s impact on Louisiana and the world.
We remain engaged with our peers, national associations, and policymakers to advocate for research and for LSU. We will continue to share details as they become available. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please reach out to research@lsu.edu.
—LSU Vice President of Research & Economic Development Robert Twilley
Award Guidance
If you receive a Termination or Stop Work Order, please immediately forward to osp@lsu.edu, stop working on the project and do not incur any additional expenses.
If you are uncertain if something is a notice of termination, please forward it to osp@lsu.edu for review and advice.
Some agencies have issued stop-work orders on grant activities associated with recent executive orders. However, many of the orders have been modified or rescinded by court injunctions or temporary restraining orders. To determine if your grant activities are impacted, it is important to frequently review the Council on Governmental Relations 2025 Administration Transition Information & Resources website for the most up-to-date information on the executive orders, litigations, and agency communications. You can also contact research@lsu.edu or osp@lsu.edu if you are unsure.
The terms and conditions of executed awards remain enforceable. Where possible, work under executed awards should proceed as usual.
FAQs
Facilities and administrative (F&A) costs—also referred to as indirect costs—are costs for essential research infrastructure and administration that are needed beyond individual projects. They include lab and equipment maintenance; services such as utilities, IT, and hazardous waste removal; and—importantly—research support staff who help with grant administration, safety, and regulatory compliance. Without F&A, universities would need to secure alternative funding to cover these real and necessary costs or reduce research activity.
No. F&A does not generate “extra” or discretionary funds. Cutting F&A shifts real and necessary costs onto universities, reducing research activity.
LSU relies on F&A reimbursement to maintain research infrastructure, support faculty and student researchers, and sustain research excellence. Cuts could:
- Hinder LSU’s growth as a leading research institution.
- Threaten funding for critical research centers, like LSU’s seven NIH Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBREs).
- Limit faculty and student access to the essential resources they need to conduct groundbreaking work.
- Weaken LSU’s ability to attract the best and brightest faculty and students.
- Slow critical biomedical advancements and economic development in Louisiana.
- Jeopardize LSU’s goal of achieving Top 50 research university and AAU status.
F&A cuts impact:
- Students who will have less access to research opportunities, scholarships, and assistantships.
- Faculty who will have less support and reduced access to well-maintained, secure research facilities.
- The Louisiana economy, which will see fewer jobs, reduced investment, and slower innovation in life-sustaining fields like healthcare, energy, and agriculture.
- Everyone, since reduced research funding delays medical discoveries and scientific advancements.
LSU’s research enterprise brings in hundreds of millions of dollars in federal research funding each year, driving economic growth and innovation in Louisiana and across the United States. Cutting F&A reimbursements will not only hurt LSU but also weakens the state’s ability to attract top talent and hinders advancements that improve lives statewide.
Have Questions?
If you are a researcher with questions or concerns about ongoing projects, contact research@lsu.edu
Recent Posts
- Message From VP Twilley
5/23/2025 - The Spencer Foundation creates Rapid Response Bridge Funding Program to bridge the gap caused by NSF Cancellations
5/13/2025 - NSF Follows NIH, DOE in Limiting Indirect Costs to 15%
5/2/2025 - Op-Ed by President Tate on how Energy innovation is a key to economic prosperity
4/23/2025 - Op-ed by President Tate on Why LSU's hurricane research matters more than ever
4/22/2025 - U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Lowers Indirect Cost Rate to 15%
4/15/2025 - UPDATE from VPR Twilley on Changes in Federal Funding
3/11/2025 - Trump's NIH Cost-Cutting Measure Blocked By Judge
3/5/2025 - LSU Warns of Likely Job, Research Cuts From NIH Grant Shift
2/28/2025 - Op-ed by President Tate on NIH Funding Cuts and Their Impact on LSU Research
2/11/2025 - Update - Temporary Restraining Order Issued
2/11/2025 - Message to College Deans from EVP and Provost Haggerty
2/8/2025 - Message from EVP and Provost Haggerty & VPR Twilley
2/7/2025 - Message from VPR Twilley
2/3/2025 - Message from VPR Twilley
1/31/2025 - Message from VPR Twilley
1/28/2025