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Faculty Support Guidance for Grant Issues

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Texas A&M University is a land, sea, and space grant institution that holds the distinction of classification as an R1 Doctoral University (Highest Research Activity). Faculty members at Texas A&M are among the leading scholars in the nation and the world in multiple disciplines and it is critical for the mission of the university and its obligations to the state to maintain high research activity.

Many scholarly activities are dependent on funding and disruptions in funding or shifts in priority can affect project completion, personnel, and career trajectories. Texas A&M University is committed to supporting faculty members who have been affected by funding disruptions to ensure continuity of the academic mission and obligations of the university.

This guide is intended to provide options for individual faculty members to consider if they have been impacted by funding disruptions, and to empower academic leaders to support their faculty members. Faculty members or leaders can reach out to Faculty Affairs at any time with questions, concerns, or for support.

WHAT ACTIONS CAN I TAKE IF I HAVE FUNDING THAT HAS NOT BEEN AFFECTED?

  • CONTINUE YOUR WORK. The funding landscape is evolving rapidly. The most important action you can take is to continue your funded work to deliver on the stated impact of the research.
  • ATTEND CAREFULLY TO THE REQUIREMENTS AND TIMELINES of your funded activities. This includes submitting any reports or deliverables in a timely manner. Monitor the budget carefully and contact your SRS support team with any questions or concerns.
  • CONSULT THE GUIDANCE FROM THE DIVISION OF RESEARCH on federal administration transitions, visit the Division of Research website for available resources, and reach out to VPR leadership with questions and concerns.
  • ATTEND TO ANY EMAILS OR MESSAGES you receive from funding agencies, program officers, or Texas A&M Division of Research, and respond or seek assistance quickly after receiving a message. Your department head is often a point of contact for any concerns you have.
  • RESPOND TO ANY REQUESTS from your department, college, government relations, or marketing and communications asking for information about the impact or scope of funded work.
  • CONVEY THE IMPACT of your funded work, including through initiatives with marketing and communications.

WHAT ACTIONS CAN I TAKE IF I RECEIVE A NOTICE AND/OR MY FUNDING HAS BEEN DISRUPTED?

  • IF YOU RECEIVE A NOTIFICATION of a disruption in funding, contact your department head, college, and your SRS team immediately.
  • WORK CLOSELY WITH YOUR SRS TEAM, college, and department head, to identify if the work should stop or what parts of the work need to be modified, and to identify how to respond. You should ask questions and seek clarification during this process, as you are the expert on the project and the scope of work. If the project involves collaborators, staff, or students, maintain communication with them about the status of the project.
  • CONSULT THE GUIDANCE FROM THE DIVISION OF RESEARCH on federal administration transitions, visit the Division of Research website for available resources, and reach out to VPR leadership with questions and concerns.
  • DISCUSS WITH YOUR DEPARTMENT AND COLLEGE LEADERSHIP any options available for students and personnel who are affected by the disruption, and options for the scope of the project if affected by the disruption.
  • CONSIDER ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF FUNDING that might be available, including industry partnerships and foundation support. The Division of Research has initiated a program to support interested faculty to effectively engage with mission-driven sponsors and the private sector including industry and philanthropic foundations. For example, a workshop scheduled for September 12, 2025, will provide faculty participants with practical resources and best practices for initiating, structuring, and sustaining partnerships with the private sector including industry, philanthropic foundations, and nonprofits. The Texas A&M System Innovation office provides guidance and support for innovation commercialization.

WHAT ACTIONS CAN I TAKE TO SUPPORT MY CAREER IF MY FUNDING IS DISRUPTED?

  • RESPOND FIRST TO ANY IMMEDIATE RAMIFICATIONS of a disruption, outlined above.
  • SET A MEETING with your department head, chair of your P&T committee, and or mentor(s) at Texas A&M or at other universities to discuss the impact of the disruption on your career and research trajectory. During these discussions, it is important to consider your current position and associated expectations, any upcoming personnel actions, and the longer term potential for scholarship priorities. Consider if additional training or skill development is needed to transition your research program or identify alternative sources of funding, such as industry partnerships or foundation support.
  • CONSIDER CONTACTING FACULTY AFFAIRS to discuss the situation or about options, or attending workshops on professional development.
  • For annual reviews, discuss with your department head and/or mentors the impact of a disruption on annual review expectations. This includes how paused, delayed, modified, or terminated funding should be documented in your materials for annual review and/or annotated within F180 activity reports. The discussion should also include how these issues will be considered in the annual review process.
  • If you are near a promotion and/or tenure review, including midterm review, discuss with your department head, P&T chair, and/or mentors how to document the impact of a disruption in your materials. This includes how paused, delayed, modified, or terminated funding should be documented. The discussion should also include how these issues will be considered in reviews, and any related consequences (e.g., if funding graduate students is an expectation in the department).
  • WITHIN YOUR PROMOTION DOSSIER, DOCUMENT paused, delayed, modified, or terminated funding. If you are using the F180 vita, enter your activity report and the section for grants and contracts; pull up the funding that has been affected and click the edit button; change the status to “Work Discontinued” and add in the “Description” box the type of disruption experienced. If you are using the word version of the vita, a note can be added that indicates the work was discontinued as the status, and the type of disruption annotated.
  • CONSIDER INCLUDING A DISRUPTION STATEMENT with your materials and/or including a brief description of the disruptions in your impact statement in the relevant areas. The focus of this addition should be on the specific information relevant to your situation and the impact; you can assume that any reviewers are aware of the broader context of disruptions and uncertainty in funding.     
  • THINK CAREFULLY ABOUT YOUR CAREER TRAJECTORY and discuss any implications with your department head, P&T chair, and/or mentors, as part of developing a plan to support your continued progress. Some of the options to consider include identification of alternative projects, research areas, or collaborations to continue research productivity; tenure clock extensions; redistribution of duties to permit necessary effort if additional training or skill development is needed for new projects or to pursue new funding sources; department, college, or university funding for seed projects or skill development; and identifying mentors in new areas or with new funding sources.

DEPARTMENT HEAD GUIDANCE AROUND TRANSITIONS AND FACULTY SUPPORT

  • KEEP UP TO DATE on the status of funding related policies and shifts. The Division of Research offers updates and FAQs.
  • REGULARLY DISCUSS THE OVERALL CONTEXT with your entire faculty and encourage them to reach out if they have concerns or questions or receive a notice.
  • If the work of one or more of your faculty is impacted by these disruptions, coordinate discussions of department expectations and how disruptions should be considered within your discipline and department. Possible discussion topics are listed below. These discussions should result in written guidance that can be shared with faculty members who are affected and are available to any relevant faculty review committees.
  • Faculty members and staff who support the research enterprise are likely to experience stress and increased workload. It is a best practice to regularly send health and wellness information out to your department.

INDIVIDUAL FACULTY SUPPORT

  • PROACTIVELY REACH OUT to any faculty members you are aware of that receive notices regarding issues with funding. They will have immediate concerns as well as long term concerns. Some options for faculty members to consider in responding to these are listed above. Consider using this guide to work through the options with your faculty members.
  • During annual evaluations or one-on-one meetings, talk with faculty members about their research programs and any concerns they have. Be encouraging but clear with faculty members if you have reason to believe that they might need to transition all or part of their research program to be successful.
  • BE EXPLICIT ABOUT ANY CHANGES in direction that you recommend to progress toward promotion, and encourage faculty members to consult mentors about their options. Should the faculty member seek alternative sources of funding? Should they consider a research pivot to an area that is more likely to be successful?
  • CONSIDER PROVIDING ADDITIONAL SUPPORT, often in coordination with the college or university, for faculty who would benefit from additional training or skill development in a new area or with a new type of funding.

SHARED GOVERNANCE DISCUSSION TOPICS

  • ANNUAL REVIEW AND PROMOTION/TENURE PROCESSES: How should funding that is paused, delayed, modified, or terminated be considered in the process? What types of documentation or evidence should be provided by faculty members as part of the review (e.g., percentage score, evidence of delay, partial work completed, date of stop work order)? Are there department criteria or indicators that need to be reconsidered temporarily or long term in this context? This discussion should be done in consultation with your college leadership, including your FAC dean.
  • SUPPORT OPTIONS: What types of support should be offered for faculty members who need to pivot or transition their research programs? What are the expectations around applying for and/or being awarded this support? Who is eligible? What outcomes are expected? These options should be done in consultation with your college leadership, including your URC dean.