Guidance on U.S. Government Shutdown: Impacts on Research and Grants

Date: October 1, 2025
Prepared by: Office of the Vice Provost for Research / OSPAR

Overview: The Shutdown is Now in Effect

The U.S. federal government entered a funding lapse and partial shutdown at 12:01 a.m. on October 1. During a funding lapse, many discretionary federal activities are suspended, and large numbers of federal employees are furloughed; agencies activate contingency plans and limit operations to legally “excepted” activities.

This document summarizes the anticipated impacts for New York Tech faculty, researchers, and administrators, and provides links to official agency guidance and contingency notices where available.

Key Impacts on Research, Proposals & Award Management

Post-Award Services and Proposal Submissions

  • Federal portals (Grants.gov, Research.gov, NSF FastLane, NIH eRA Commons, NIH ASSIST) may be unavailable or limited.
  • Federal program officers and agency staff are often furloughed, delaying communications.
  • Proposal deadlines are not automatically extended; monitor agency announcements.

Post-Award / Active Awards

  • New awards, continuations, and amendments requiring agency action may be delayed.
  • Disbursement systems may operate with restrictions; expect delays.
  • Projects with already-obligated funds may continue if expenditures are allowable and documented.

Federal Systems & Agency Operations

  • Agencies (NIH, NSF, DoD, DOE, Department of Education, etc.) have published contingency plans.
  • Expect delayed responses from program officers and agency contacts.

Shutdown resources, as of October 1

  • Submit early where possible; confirm system availability.
  •  Coordinate with OSPAR at grants@nyit.edu.
  • Prioritize work on active awards with obligated funds.
  • Document decisions, delays, and communications for audit purposes.
  • Expect backlogs when agencies resume normal operations.

What New York Tech Will Do

  • OSPAR will monitor agency notices and update this guidance.
  • Internal review and preparation will continue where possible.
  • For urgent award-management issues, contact OSPAR at grants@nyit.edu.

Contacts

Office of Sponsored Programs & Research Administration (OSPAR)
grants@nyit.edu 

Office of the Vice Provost for Research

For sponsor-specific questions, see the agency contacts above.

Last reviewed and updated: October 1, 2025. New York Tech will post further notices as agencies issue updates.