Office of Research Administration

BABA Requirements The Build America, Buy America Act (BABA), enacted as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Pub. L. 117-58, 2021), establishes domestic content requirements for certain federally funded infrastructure projects. Under BABA, iron, steel, manufactured products, and construction materials used in covered infrastructure projects must be produced in the United States, unless […]

The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDANIFA), through its Grants Modernization Initiative (GMI), is transitioning its grantsmanagement processes to eRA Commons. As a result, project personnel involved inUSDA NIFA funded projects may be required to obtain and maintain an eRA Commonsaccount. eRA Commons is the electronic system used by federal […]

The University of Maine has released interim guidance to assist Principal Investigators (PIs) in budgeting for graduate workers on new sponsored project proposals. Following the 2026–2028 Collective Bargaining Agreement, these updates ensure all submissions meet new minimum stipend and benefit requirements. Key Budgeting Requirements: For detailed rate tables and calculation examples, please review the full […]

The U.S. National Science Foundation has posted a policy notice, NSF PAPPG 24-1 Supplement 2, that applies to all financial assistance awards issued on or after January 22, 2026. These changes are geared to support greater transparency, access, and reuse of NSF-funded research. Major policy changes include: If you have questions about how this update […]

NASA has issued Grant Information Circular (GIC) 26-01 (January 14, 2026)announcing revisions to its Grant and Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions (GCAT) to implement requirements under Executive Order 14332,“Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking.” (GIC 26-01 – Termination Payment) Key Updates to NASA Award Terms NASA’s revisions include updates related to: Effective Date These revisions are […]

The University of Maine has released guidance and updates in the event of a potential lapse in federal appropriations. In the event of receiving a stop-work order from a federal agency, please immediately notify your university’s office of sponsored programs and University of Maine Director of the Office of Research Administration, Christopher Boynton (christopher.boynton@maine.edu).

On July 2, 2025, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a letter to all recipients of federal financial assistance announcing that it will no longer enforce certain policy provisions incorporated into assistance agreements between January 20, 2021, and January 20, 2025. As directed by recent Executive Orders, the DOT will cease enforcement of requirements […]

Effective as of July 1, 2025, the NIH Public Access Policy is in effect and manuscripts accepted for publication in a journal on or after July 1, 2025, must be submitted to PubMed Central for public availability without embargo upon the official date of publication. To assist with compliance, NIH has developed a new website […]

Financial Reporting The goal of the ORA’s financial reporting services is to provide Principal Investigators and department administrators with quality support services and financial compliance guidance along with effective stewardship of sponsored awards. Most sponsors require financial reporting to determine the use of sponsored funds on either a monthly, quarterly, annual or other reporting basis. […]