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01 October 2025

Communications Surrounding Potential Federal Government Shutdown: October 2025

Last updated: 10/1/2025

We are closely monitoring developments in Washington, D.C., and evaluating the likelihood of a federal government shutdown on October 1st, 2025, and the potential impact on Duke University’s research activity. Duke has prepared information, resources and answers to frequently asked questions to help you navigate the impact of a federal government shutdown on your research activities, which are available here on myRESEARCHpath.

As with previous federal government shutdowns, researchers with active federally sponsored grants and contracts will generally be instructed to continue work unless the sponsor issues a specific order to stop work. Investigators may receive instructions from their contracting or program officers; if you receive such information, please notify your grant manager and the appropriate pre-award office immediately.

Additionally, as we approach October 1st, and the likelihood of a shutdown continues, the Office of Government Relations will be posting relevant updates to their blog.

Letter from the Vice President for Research & Innovation 10/1/25

The federal government entered a shutdown at 12:01 a.m. on October 1, 2025. At that time, all federal departments and agencies were directed by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to cease non-essential operations.

What to Know:

  • During a shutdown, many federal agency operations, including peer review, new award processing, and communication with program and administrative staff, may be delayed or suspended.
  • Several federal agencies have issued contingency plans, detailing their operating status and procedures for a government shutdown, links to which are available on myRESEARCHpath (MRP). Agencies may continue to issue communications in the coming days; therefore, we encourage you to monitor MRP for updates.
  • Active federally sponsored awards should continue without interruption, unless you receive a formal stop work order or suspension notice; however, agency approvals and reporting deadlines could be affected.
  • The Office for Research & Innovation (OR&I) is actively monitoring the situation and coordinating with institutional and administrative offices to minimize disruptions to research.

What to Do:

We want to draw your attention to the following updates that may apply to the research community:

  • Stay informed: Updates will be posted on MRP and communicated via email, including the Duke Research Insider.
  • Continue work: Active federally sponsored grants and contracts should proceed unless you receive a formal stop work order or suspension notice. If you receive such a communication, please forward it to grantsupport@duke.edu so that the central grants offices may provide clarity and assistance.
  • Plan ahead: Continue preparing applications and progress reports for on-time submissions. Unless an agency has specifically communicated that a submission system will be affected by the shutdown, it should still be possible to submit grant applications and progress reports; however, on-line help desks may not be available for assistance. If submission systems are shut down, the agency is likely to communicate extensions to submission deadlines.
  • Anticipate delays: Please plan for delays in federal agency response times and administrative processing during the shutdown.
  • Monitor updates from funding agencies: Agencies will likely continue issuing communications regarding operations, including impacts to study sections and peer reviews, which are not likely to occur during a federal government shutdown. If you have meetings scheduled with federal officials, including Program Officers, these meetings may not take place while the shutdown continues.
  • Seek guidance: If you have any questions or concerns regarding the impact of the federal government shutdown on your research (Office of Research Administration for Schools of Medicine/Nursing or the Office of Research Support for all other schools). 

OR&I has prepared information, resources, and answers to frequently asked questions on MRP to help the Duke community navigate the impact of the federal government shutdown on your research activities. The Duke Office of Government Relations (OGR) is also closely monitoring the situation and providing updates to the Duke community on their website.  Both offices will provide additional information as it becomes available.  

Letter from the Vice President for Research & Innovation 9/29/25

 
We are closely monitoring developments in Washington, D.C., and evaluating the likelihood of a federal government shutdown, which would begin at 12:01 am on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, and the potential impact on Duke University’s research activity.

As with previous federal government shutdowns, researchers with active federally sponsored grants and contracts will generally be instructed to continue work unless the sponsor issues a specific order to stop work. If you receive a stop work order or termination notice related to a specific award, please forward to grantsupport@duke.edu so that central research offices may provide clarity and assistance. 

Individuals should also consider the following:

  • Although we have not received sponsor-specific guidance on how a potential federal government shutdown may impact submission of new or competing applications or progress reporting, we anticipate that some agencies will not be available to process these.
  • If you are preparing an application or progress report for an upcoming submission deadline, you should continue to prepare those documents for an on-time submission.
  • Post-award actions (such as federal sponsor processing of prior approval requests), which are typically delayed in October due to the new federal fiscal year, are unlikely to occur during a shutdown.
  • We encourage you to review information provided in myRESEARCHpath on the impact of a government shutdown on federal research. Guidance communications from the federal agencies can occur throughout the shutdown.   

We will continue to monitor agency specific communications regarding the potential shutdown and provide detailed updates and guidance via email and myRESEARCHpath, as well as general updates provided on the Duke Office of Government Relations blog. 

We are confident that, as with previous federal government shutdowns, we will successfully navigate such a scenario with the assistance and coordination of our research community.

Please reach out to your pre-award office if you have any questions or concerns regarding the impact of a potential federal government shutdown on your research.

 

From Duke Office for Research & Innovation (OR&I)