The document summarizes the recent activities, priorities, and upcoming initiatives of the major committees within the Council on Governmental Relations (COGR) as of October 27, 2023. The Costing and Financial Compliance (CFC) Committee has focused on the Facilities & Administrative (F&A) Survey and the Uniform Guidance (UG) Update, addressing issues such as the NSF's new compliance program, the NASA FCTR to FFR transition, and the enforcement of salary caps in indirect cost pools. Their workplan includes responses to UG changes, analysis of F&A survey data, library cost allocation, and matters related to the ASAP and FAC-to-GSA transitions.
The Contracts & Grants Administration (CGA) Committee reported ongoing attention to Uniform Guidance revisions, challenges with System for Award Management (SAM) registrations, and oversight topics such as research security and the implications of a potential government shutdown. The committee is preparing for 2024 by monitoring trends such as Other Transaction Authorities (OTAs) and planning updates to institutional guidance post-UG finalization. The Research, Ethics & Compliance (REC) Committee is closely tracking changes to research misconduct regulations, research security standards, and biosafety policy updates, while also addressing federal policies on conflict of interest and animal welfare in research. Meanwhile, the Research Security & Intellectual Property (RSIP) Committee is working with NIST on improving domestic manufacturing requirements, iEdison platform enhancements, and reviewing evolving federal requirements related to cybersecurity and controlled unclassified information (CUI). Across all committees, emphasis is placed on responding to federal regulatory changes, facilitating institutional compliance, and engaging the research administration community through timely updates and opportunities for input.
