FASEB Urges Education Department to Protect Research Investments and Workforce Development

By: CJ Neely
Thursday, September 24, 2026
On September 21, FASEB submitted comments on proposed revisions to the U.S. Department of Education’s grant regulations (EDGAR; Docket ID ED-2026-OPEPD-2542). The comments caution that several provisions could establish precedents affecting the broader federal research enterprise.

The proposed rule would expand the Department’s authority to terminate awards for convenience, allow competitive preference for applicants that accept lower indirect-cost rates, revise the treatment of training grant costs, and change how funding opportunities are announced.

FASEB supports the Department’s goals of reducing administrative burden, promoting merit, and strengthening stewardship of federal funds. However, ending a meritorious project for reasons unrelated to performance could stall taxpayer-funded research, while also significantly disrupting the career paths of students, trainees, and research staff. FASEB recommended limiting termination for convenience to grounds identified in the award and requiring the Department to consider existing federal investments and less disruptive alternatives.

FASEB also opposed giving applicants a competitive advantage for accepting below-cost indirect rates. These costs support facilities, laboratory safety, data security, compliance systems, and other infrastructure necessary for federally funded work. Such a preference would favor institutions able to absorb the shortfall while placing smaller and lower-resourced institutions at a disadvantage.

The proposed rule could also weaken workforce development by limiting indirect-cost recovery for certain training grants while potentially rewarding applicants that accept rates below their negotiated costs. Without adequate support for program personnel, facilities, and administration, institutions may be forced to offer fewer training opportunities, reduce the resources available to each trainee, or both. 

Additional recommendations call on the Department to clarify its merit-assurance language, preserve recourse for continuation funding decisions, retain rigorous evidence standards, and maintain permanent, publicly accessible notice of funding opportunities. FASEB also urged the Department to address Congress’s decision to pause substantively similar government-wide regulatory changes through December 11, 2026.