A regular digest for UW faculty with updates on federal and national issues of relevance to their teaching, research and service; actions the University is taking; and ways for faculty to be involved.
Federal Landscape
Government reopening
The federal government is slowly reopening after a record 43-day shutdown; however, only a limited number of agencies were given full funding for fiscal year 2026, such as the Veterans Affairs Administration, the U.S. House, the U.S. Senate, the U.S. Capitol Police and a few others. The rest of the federal government — including all research funding agencies — was funded under a continuing resolution through January 30, 2026. This gives Congress two months to agree to and pass final fiscal year 2026 levels for the majority of government or face another shutdown.
Federal agencies are working to establish new deadlines and reschedule review panels as they resume operations. Some agencies, including the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health, have posted interim guidance, but you may also reach out to your program officer with questions. We have updated the advance spend guidance as we anticipate delays with federal agency proposal review, award issuance, and agency prior approvals.
Check the UW Federal Relations blog for details on the reopening and federal budget negotiations. The Office of Research continues to provide guidance and possible impactsto researchers and research award administrators who are directly affected by the shutdown and reopening. UW Finance, Planning and Budgeting, as well as the UW Federal Relations team, are keeping leadership apprised of developments.
International
O-1A Extraordinary Ability visa information
International Scholars Operations has published new content regarding sponsorship of O-1A Extraordinary Ability visas.
Leadership
The UW’s first vice provost and endowed chair for AI announced
Noah Smith, a professor in the Allen School and senior director of Natural Language Processing research at the Allen Institute for AI, has agreed to serve as the University’s first vice provost and endowed chair for artificial intelligence. He will maintain his faculty position while serving his five-year term which began Nov. 1. Professor Smith’s endowed chair appointment is pending approval from the Board of Regents. The vice provost position and these AI-related efforts are made possible by the generosity of donors Lisa and Charles Simonyi who recently established the Simonyi Endowed Chair for Artificial Intelligence and the Simonyi Fund for Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies.
UW strategic planning
Get the latest on the UW’s strategic planning efforts, an inclusive, community-informed process to develop a plan that will guide the University through 2030 — one that is ambitious, rooted in the UW’s distinctive capabilities and regional assets, and accessible to the public. Have an idea that you would like the committee to consider? Want to ask a question about the planning process? Submit this form to tell us what you think.
Community
REMINDER: The UW Club reactivates for events, meetings, salons
As UW leaders explore and plan for the UW Club’s future, the building is reactivating for limited use for simple events, meetings, co-working and performances. Under the leadership of the UW Alumni Association and UW Retirement Association, the club offers free coffee on Thursday mornings and gatherings throughout the day for faculty, staff, retirees and alumni. School of Art faculty will present a series of art salons beginning 4 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 20, to highlight campus artists through performances and conversations. Learn more about the UW Club’s present, past and future.
Key links
- Office of the Provost’s Federal Policy Updates
- UW Medicine’s Federal Policy Updates (UW NetID required)
- Office of Research’s Federal Policy Guidance
- UW Research Makes America
Tell us what you think
Resources for Researchers & Instructors
Upholding our shared commitment to civil rights
The UW’s newly restructured Civil Rights Compliance Office and updated Executive Order 81 Prohibiting Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct will ensure that our resources and processes align with our ideals and strengthen our ability to prevent and address discrimination, harassment and sexual misconduct across all campuses, facilities and programs. Learn more in a recent message from President Robert J. Jones.
REMINDER: New directory of shared research facilities
The Office of Research is developing a new webpage to raise visibility of shared research facilities to better support potential users and strengthen the user base. Contact Adam Wojno, assistant vice provost for shared research facilities, wojno@uw.edu, if a facility you use is not currently listed.
REMINDER: Open private funding opportunities for faculty, researchers
Faculty and researchers may search current open funding opportunities from private sources for their research and programs through a dashboard developed by the UW Corporate & Foundation Relations team.