On May 27th, the Council on Governmental Relations, Association of American Universities, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities and the Association of American Medical Colleges wrote to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) seeking an extension of the grant flexibilities provided to research agencies in a March 19th memo. The OMB guidance expanded administrative, financial management, and audit flexibilities previously provided for COVID-19 research activities to include a broader scope of research impacted by the crisis. The guidance touched on 13 areas including:

• Flexibility with System for Award Management registration;
• Flexibility with application deadlines;
• Waiver for Notice of Funding Opportunities Publication;
• No-cost extensions on expiring awards;
• Abbreviated non-competitive continuation requests;
• Allowability of salaries and other project activities;
• Allowability of costs no normally chargeable to awards;
• Prior approval requirement waivers;
• Exemptions of certain procurement requirements;
• Extension of financial, performance, and other reporting;
• Extension of currently approved indirect cost rates;
• Extension of closeout; and
• Extension of single audit submission.

The flexibilities are set to be reassessed by OMB prior to June 17. The groups' letter to OMB specifically requested that the critically important flexibilities for research institutions be extended until the end of the fiscal year. Separately, the groups have called on Congress to appropriate funds to all research agencies so that for-cost extensions and other necessary support can be provided to institutions.