|
Dear Emory Research Community,
Research and discovery are fundamental components of Emory University’s core mission: “To create, preserve, teach, and apply knowledge in the service of humanity” and federal funding is a critical source of support for investigator-initiated research, scholarship, and creative activities at institution of higher education across the country. For the past five years, Emory has experienced year-over-year growth moving from $831M in sponsored awards in FY20 to $1.1B in FY24. However, there are now many unknowns concerning the federal budget and how it may impact research funding at Emory and other institutions of higher education.
In collaboration with the Office of Government and Community Affairs, the Office of the Sr. Vice President for Research (SVPR) will continue to monitor the federal fiscal outlook as it relates to research funding closely. Communication across the university’s research enterprise will be essential in the upcoming months and years. The Office of SVPR will partner with the SVPR Research Council, which includes research leaders from each school and college, to provide guidance about the federal budget, grant-seeking, and new opportunities as actionable information becomes available.
Yesterday, we became aware that study sections and advisory council meetings at the National Institutes of Health were canceled as a part of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) communications pause. The DHHS communication pause is scheduled through Feb 1. These cancellations have the potential to delay the award-making process, but we do not know to what extent.
Faculty are encouraged to continue to prepare and submit proposals to NIH and other federal agencies until more information is available. Additionally, here are a few relevant resources for Emory researchers:
-
Please be aware of Emory’s Provisional Award Number (PAN) process. A PAN may be requested by a Principal Investigator for the purposes of initiating a sponsored project and incurring expenses prior to the institution's receipt, acceptance, and processing of the award.
-
Identifying alternative funding sources for research will be critical for many investigators. The Office of Research Development manages the university’s subscription to Grant Forward. Faculty are encouraged to create a profile and utilize this service to consider new funders. A quick start guide for using Grant Forward is available here.
-
The Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations is available to discuss alignment with potential private funders. This office also manages the university’s subscription to the Foundation Directory.
-
The Office of Research Development maintains a list of all internal funding sources available to Emory researchers, which is available here. There are 42 internal funding opportunities, more than half of which are open to researchers from all academic units.
As we navigate this period of uncertainty, we will continue to transparently share monthly reports about Emory’s proposals, awards, and other indicators. A suite of reports is accessible on the Research Data Analytics webpage. We will review key metrics regularly to understand how changes at the federal level are affecting Emory’s research enterprise. Additionally, we will provide updates, when appropriate, through our existing communication channels and groups, including the SVPR Research Council, the ORA - Chief Business Officers, and ORA Faculty Advisory Board.
As you encounter new challenges in the research ecosystem, please communicate those with us by contacting your Associate Dean for Research and/or Kimberly Eck, Sr. Associate Vice President for Research at keck@emory.edu. By working together, we can ensure that Emory is able to adapt to changes in the funding landscape and to continue advancing its mission of serving humanity through groundbreaking research. Thank you for your dedication and contributions to Emory’s research enterprise and the world.
Sincerely,
Deborah Watkins Bruner RN, PhD, FAAN
Senior Vice President for Research
Emory University
| 
