News

In a 2025 executive order, the federal government announced expectations of Gold Standard Science (GSS) for all federally supported research. As federal agencies integrate GSS principles into the grants process, the PDS team recommends that investigators include clear statements in their proposals to any federal agency describing how their proposed work aligns with GSS. 

Recent changes to federal agency policies regarding foreign collaboration and research security have sparked many questions from the UC Davis research community. In particular, the PDS team has been fielding questions regarding how these changes impact ongoing and proposed projects, as well as steps that investigators need to take to be compliant with the new guidance. Here, we share answers and resources to address the most frequent questions regarding foreign collaborations and research security.  

In this Agency Update, you'll find information on:

In 2027, the Department of Justice's Title II and Health and Human Services's Section 504 policies requiring digital accessibility will go into effect.

Developing a strong grant proposal can take months of preparation. The UC Davis Proposal Development Services team recommends three to five months to develop a strong proposal. In the past year, however, funding opportunities with very short turnaround times – sometimes as little as 4 to 6 weeks! - have become the norm.  

In early 2026, most federal agencies updated their certification for biographical sketches and current and pending support documents, requiring that investigators: 

In early 2026, both National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced changes to the format and creation of their Data Management and Sharing Plans (DMS Plan). Here, we summarize how the changes will impact your proposal preparation and provide resources to help you prepare for the updated forms. 

Our team is ready to support University of California, Davis faculty applying for the 2026 National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER, so it's time to share what we have planned for our researchers this year!

Grant writers need to be able to justify not just why the work should be done, but also that the work CAN be done. Feasibility hinges on three primary factors: 1) investigator skills and experience, 2) logistics of project scope, budget, and time frame, and 3) suitability of the planned methods. While expectations vary by funding opportunity, all sponsors want assurance that they are investing wisely. 

Here are a few ways to effectively demonstrate feasibility in your next proposal. 

In 2026, disruptions in federal grant programs have led to an unusual convergence of early career proposal deadlines that were previously more staggered. In many cases proposal preparation time – the time between the release of funding opportunity announcements and proposal due dates – has also shortened.

While this environment presents challenges, it also creates an important opportunity: with thoughtful planning and early preparation, you can position yourself for success. Starting early and planning strategically is no longer just helpful, it is essential.

NIH is requiring personnel documents for all submissions due May 8 and after to be created using the Common Form in SciENcv (NOT-OD-26-079). This affects proposals, RPPRs and JIT submissions. Details of the changes can be found in the original notice (NOT-OD-26-018).