The February 2016 Update from the Council on Governmental Relations (COGR) provides an extensive overview of key regulatory, fiscal, and policy developments impacting research institutions. Major NIH policy updates address grant closeout processes, salary cap increases, and numerous fiscal and award-related clarifications, with efforts to clarify differing requirements for contracts versus grants. COGR’s advocacy with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) remains active, as evidenced by recent formal requests for more sensible procurement standards and a revised methodology for the Utility Cost Adjustment (UCA) impacting Facilities and Administrative (F&A) rates. COGR is also preparing analyses of Uniform Guidance implementation impact metrics and commenting on draft compliance supplements relating to Single Audits.
Further, the report highlights ongoing sectoral engagement with compliance issues such as Affordable Care Act (ACA) obligations for graduate research assistants, new Department of Defense (DoD) cybersecurity mandates, and evolving service contract reporting requirements. Attention is drawn to congressional scrutiny of drug pricing via Bayh-Dole Act march-in rights, and to ongoing interagency dialogues about technology transfer practices and forthcoming changes to Bayh-Dole regulations. The update also covers recent and proposed regulatory changes from CDC and USDA surrounding select agents and biosafety, as well as labor regulation proposals with potential impacts on postdoctoral researchers. Matters of research ethics, regulatory burden reduction, and audit findings from federal agencies are addressed, indicating both government oversight and the evolving compliance environment for research universities. Throughout, COGR encourages active member participation and feedback to inform their advocacy and ensure the research community remains responsive to regulatory change.
