Message: Improving Oversight of Federal Grant Making
On Aug. 7, 2025, the White House released an executive order (EO) aimed at overhauling the federal grantmaking process. With the stated goal of focusing the distribution of federal funding towards research that improves American lives and advances American interests, the EO describes a set of changes that will touch every stage of the grant life cycle, from the design and publication of funding opportunities to proposal review and selection and administration of awarded grants.
Those changes could reshape some aspects of the day-to-day conduct of research at Virginia Tech. However, until the order’s provisions are implemented by the agencies, the university cannot confidently predict the full scope and shape of those impacts.
The order’s references to “Gold Standard Science,” outlined in prior executive orders and guidance from the Office of Science and Technology Policy, prioritize principles and practices Virginia Tech exemplifies, including collaboration, interdisciplinarity, integrity, and the responsible conduct of research. As a land-grant university, Virginia Tech advances research that tangibly benefits communities and enhances human quality of life.
There are practical steps faculty can take now to prepare. The order envisions a scientific enterprise unified towards the administration’s policy priorities, with enforcement at every stage from RFP design to contingent grant continuation. Faculty can be proactive and familiarize themselves with these priorities 1,2,3,4 — many of which dovetail with Virginia Tech’s longstanding strengths — and assess to what extent their research could fit into that landscape. Also, they should continue to ensure that research does not inadvertently constitute discrimination on the basis of protected characteristics.
The order is also clear that awardees will be required to demonstrate quantifiable progress towards meaningful milestones and explicitly justify the drawdown of funds. University administration urges faculty to be diligent in their existing reporting responsibilities, and begin to consider specific progress indicators for projects that may not already have them. All these activities will soften the transition to the research environment described in the order.
Finally, Virginia Tech recognizes that some components of the executive order presage fundamental shifts in academic research, including a broader role for administration appointees in the grantmaking process, additional restrictions on facilities and administrative costs, and greater flexibility in the termination of funding. These are the provisions whose potential impacts are both among the most monumental and least predictable. Without the ability to make actionable predictions, vigilant, mindful continuity is the most practical approach. Continue to do exceptional research every day, which is driven by a deep commitment to the benefit of society. The university will continue to monitor the implementation and implications of this order, and provide guidance and tools as soon as the details to inform them become available.