Research update: NSF message, FAQs
Posted by Velvet Hasner
Dr. Kamal Khayat, vice chancellor for research and innovation, sent the following message to faculty, staff and graduate students on Feb. 3.
Dear Colleagues,
The National Science Foundation is in the process of sending the following note to principal investigators. The subject of the message is: The NSF financial system should now be active again. NSF is in the process of sending the note below out to the PI community now.
On Friday, Jan. 31, a federal court issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) directing federal grant-making agencies, including the National Science Foundation, to “… not pause, freeze, impede, block, cancel or terminate … awards and obligations to provide federal financial assistance to the states, and … not impede the states’ access to such awards and obligations, except on the basis of the applicable authorizing statutes, regulations and terms.” Although the language of the TRO is directed at state institutions, the Department of Justice has determined that it applies to all NSF award recipients. You can review the temporary restraining order online.
In order to comply with the temporary restraining order, the NSF Award Cash Management Service (ACM$) system is available for awardees to request payments as of noon (Eastern time) Sunday, Feb. 2.
This message is also available on the executive order implementation webpage. Please check back regularly as we add frequently asked questions (FAQs) based on community feedback.
Frequently asked questions provided by the NSF
- When will the Award Cash Management Service (ACM$) be restored to allow disbursements on active awards?
Access to ACM$ has been restored and the system is available to accept payment requests as of 12:00 PM ET on February 2, 2025.
- On Friday, January 31, 2025, a Federal Court issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) directing Federal grant-making agencies, including the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), to “…not pause, freeze, impede, block, cancel, or terminate … awards and obligations.” What is NSF doing to comply with this TRO?
NSF has restored access to the ACM$ system as of 12:00 PM ET on February 2, 2025 and is in compliance with the TRO.
- I cannot access the ACM$ system. Why not?
If you cannot immediately access the ACM$ system, please try again. For technical assistance please contact your respective NSF Division of Financial Management representative available at new.nsf.gov/bfa/dfm/pab. ACM$ frequently asked questions are available at www.nsf.gov/bfa/dfm/docs/DFM_PABGrantFAQ.pdf.
- I submitted a payment request last week, before ACM$ was shut down. Do I need to submit a new request?
Please log into your ACM$ account to verify whether your payment was accepted before submitting a new request. NSF executed a shut down of ACM$ last week due to extraordinarily high volumes of payments received after OMB Memorandum M-24-13 was released, which resulted in a cancellation of all payment requested received on January 28. However, payment requests submitted on January 27 prior to 8:00 PM have been retained and will be released for payment.
- Will Fellows (GRFP, et al) receive their February stipend?
Fellows must log into ACM$ and verify their payment request has been accepted. Most Fellows will have to resubmit a request.
- How long will it take to get my payment?
Due to the anticipated high volume of transaction requests, there could be delays in processing for brief periods of time over the next 24 to 48 hours. If you do not receive your payments promptly, please contact your respective NSF Division of Financial Management representative available at new.nsf.gov/bfa/dfm/pab.
- How does the TRO impact the award reviews NSF was conducting?
The TRO does not impact the ongoing review of our award portfolio to identify active grants in the context of recent Executive Orders. We will continue the comprehensive review of our award portfolio.
- Can NSF terminate my award even if they are still reviewing all awards?
NSF can not take action to delay or stop payment for active awards based solely on actual or potential non-compliance with the Executive Orders. However, the TRO reserves the agency’s right to take action for reasons not related to compliance with the executive orders, such as violations of law, regulation, or current NSF grant terms and conditions.
- Are we still allowed to submit proposals on Research.gov?
Yes. Proposals may be submitted on Research.gov.
- How will the executive orders affect due dates for proposal submission?
Due dates are subject to change. NSF will publish revised funding opportunities as necessary.
- I submitted a proposal recently. When can I expect it to be reviewed?
NSF will publish revised funding opportunities as necessary and will communicate any updates to the research community via NSF’s established communication processes. Our intent is to resume proposal processing and review activities for funding opportunities as soon as possible.
- I was supposed to be on a panel last week and it was canceled. When will it be rescheduled?
NSF is rescheduling, as appropriate, virtual, hybrid, and in-person proposal review panels that were scheduled through February 7, 2025.
Posted by Velvet Hasner
