A regular digest for UW faculty with updates on federal, national and local issues of relevance to their teaching, research and service; actions the University is taking; and ways for faculty to be involved.
Federal Landscape
Small business research, tech transfer programs extended
President Trump has signed into law the Small Business Innovation and Economic Security Act (S. 3971), which extends the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs for five years until Sept. 30, 2031. The program, which lapsed for six months, provides early-stage, non-dilutive funding to startups. Over the past five fiscal years, UW spinoffs have received $68.5 million in SBIR/STTR support.
Education Department proposes changes to accreditation system
The U.S. Department of Education released last week draft regulations proposing sweeping changes to the college accreditation system. Among the changes, the draft regulations seek to make it easier for new accrediting agencies to gain recognition from the department and for institutions of higher education to easily switch accreditors. The draft regulations also would require accrediting agencies to hold “institutions accountable for discrimination and other unlawful acts” and to ensure that institutions “support and prioritize intellectual diversity among faculty.” The Department of Education released the draft in advance of the Accreditation, Innovation and Modernization Negotiated Rulemaking Committee sessions, which are scheduled to take place this week and May 18-22. A list of individuals who will serve on the committee is available here.
Federal government ends appeal of NIH IDC cap ruling
In January, a unanimous ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit upheld a lower court’s ruling that blocked the National Institutes of Health’s unilateral decision to implement a 15% indirect cost (IDC) rate for NIH grants. Because the federal government did not appeal this First Circuit’s ruling by the April 6 deadline, the lower court’s ruling stays in place. This concludes the fourth of four lawsuits around attempts by various agencies to impose a 15% IDC rate for indirect research cost reimbursements.
Additionally, while Congress has blocked such unilateral changes for the current FY2026 budget year, the president’s FY2027 budget proposal again proposes a 15% IDC rate for NIH grants. The UW remains engaged on the topic with Congress in the event of further efforts to reduce rates below those negotiated with institutions.
The UW opposes those reductions. The arbitrary cap will have significant negative impacts on our ability to conduct life-saving and world-changing research. The University and its research partners will continue to pursue the adoption of the Financial Accountability in Research (FAIR) model, which was developed by several higher education associations.
State Landscape
2026 legislative session wraps up, takeaways posted
Washington state’s 2026 legislative session has come to a close, bringing with it a number of significant policy and budget changes affecting the UW. The University is grateful that in this difficult budget year the University avoided significant funding reductions. The Finance, Planning and Budgeting blog details key takeaways from the final compromise budget.
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
Leadership
REMINDER: Give your feedback on the strategic plan by Friday, April 17
The UW’s 2026-30 strategic plan will serve as a comprehensive framework to help us meet new challenges, serve our communities and take advantage of emerging opportunities. Everyone throughout the UW community is welcome to review the draft plan, discuss it with your colleagues, and share your collective input by Friday, April 17. Learn more about the plan and how you can help refine and strengthen it.
Resources for Researchers & Instructors
AI@UW announces award of SEED-AI grants
Individual faculty members and faculty teams from 19 schools and colleges across all three campuses have received grants from AI@UW to support their exploratory projects that thoughtfully apply artificial intelligence to enhance teaching and learning across disciplines. Learn about the 36 projects that were funded in this first grant cycle.
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.