The University of Oregon joined other higher education institutions, the Asso­ciation of American Universities (AAU), and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) in submitting a response to a proposed rule that governs the use of federal grant money to cover indirect costs. The Advanced Notice of Proposed Guidance (ANPG) on “Reform of Federal Policies Relating to Grants and Cooperative Agreements; Cost Principles and Administrative Requirements (In­cluding Single Audit Act)” that appeared in the Federal Register on February 28, 2012 (OMB-2012-0002) proposes to modify cost principles and administra­tive requirements for universities under OMB Circular A-21, and to consolidate several circulars, including A-21, into a single circular.

In the UO’s letter, Kimberly Andrews Espy, vice president for research and innovation and dean of the graduate school, expressed support for account­ability and transparency in the admin­istration of federal research dollars, but raised concerns about the process that was used to create the proposed revi­sions to the OMB Circular A-21 and the impact of the provisions of proposed rule on research activities at the University of Oregon. The ANPG proposes cutting the amount of indirect cost reimbursement allowed for federal research grants.

The proposed rule can be found on the Government Printing Office’s web page.