From: Research <research@utsa.edu>
Date: Tuesday, January 28, 2025 at 12:26 PM
To: UTSA Faculty <UTSAFACULTY@utsa.edu>
Subject: Message from the VPR: Update on Federal Spending Memo and Research Funding

Dear Faculty, 

Yesterday afternoon, the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memo directing federal agencies to temporarily pause federal assistance programs, including grants and cooperative agreements.  

We want to take a moment to acknowledge the immediate questions and concerns you may have and assure you that we are actively working to assess its potential impact on our university and research activities. While this directive is broad and its implications are still unfolding, we are collaborating closely with UT System and our federal relations contacts to better understand the scope of this directive and determine appropriate next steps. As we gain more clarity, we will share updates to ensure you remain informed. 

At this time, we do not believe it is necessary to pause federally funded research activities unless you have received a stop-work order from the federal sponsor directly. Researchers may continue to perform work on already-funded federal projects. 

Attached is a message we sent to Deans and Associate Deans for Research on Friday regarding the pause on meetings. As we find out specific details, we’ll be sharing that information and posting it on the internal SharePoint page we created to track ongoing federal policy updates. UTSA Research will continue to provide updates with the most recent news and information regarding federal funding agencies and guidance for faculty.  

As always, we thank you for your dedication to advancing our mission. Your drive for innovation and discovery inspires us, and we remain committed to keeping you updated as we learn more. 

Sincerely,

JoAnn Browning, Ph.D., P.E., Dist.M. ASCE

Interim Vice President for Research

The University of Texas at San Antonio

Office of Research

One UTSA Circle
San Antonio, TX 78249-3209