Dear Brown Faculty,

The Division of Research is aware that many have received directives from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and NASA to cease all DEIA activities, and it is anticipated that similar directives from other federal agencies may follow. As President Paxson and Provost Doyle wrote earlier today (Jan. 28), the University is following these developments closely. At this time, the instruction from Brown's Division of Research is to comply with these federal agency directives as more information about this evolving situation becomes available.

In addition, members of the community may be following public reports of a memorandum issued by the federal Office of Management and Budget yesterday relating to a temporary pause of certain federal grants and loans, which the OMB has now clarified is limited to federal financial assistance implicated by President Trump’s Executive Orders. Please send an email if you receive any notifications from your funding agency concerning a pause in your grant funding so that we can determine how best to respond (email fed2025admintransition@brown.edu), or if you have any other questions related to federal directives pertaining to research. The Division of Research is committed to supporting you during this time of uncertainty.

Finally, you should continue to submit grant proposals. However, be aware that Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) have been undergoing major revisions, and we recommend that you double-check the text, requirements, and expiration dates of FOAs before preparing and submitting proposals.

Thank you,
Greg Hirth
Vice President for Research
Professor of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences

A version of this notice was sent to all Brown faculty via email on Jan. 28.