Alchemer Survey

Future of Research: October 2026 Navigating the Storm

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Discussion Prompts:

Broad Impacts of Federal Policy Changes
•How are changing federal research requirements currently affecting the day-to-day conduct and administration of research at your institution? Where are you seeing the greatest operational or practical challenges—for example, in implementing new requirements, managing awards, supporting researchers, or maintaining ongoing research activities? What impacts have been most significant, and are there specific examples that may reflect broader challenges across institutions?••How are institutions evaluating federal awards when the terms, conditions, or financial arrangements differ from established practices—for example, through new award mechanisms (OTA’s), limited negotiation opportunities, changes in indirect cost recovery, or termination provisions? What factors determine whether an institution accepts, negotiates, escalates, or declines an award, and where would greater consistency or clarification from federal agencies make the biggest difference? Are institutions developing formal decision-making frameworks or relying on case-by-case reviews?

NIH Reducing Administrative Burden
•Where are NIH's administrative requirements creating unnecessary burden, duplication, or unintended consequences for research institutions and investigators? What specific requirements or processes should NIH simplify, eliminate, or handle differently? Consider examples from the application and award lifecycle, including pre-award documentation, research collaboration requirements, subaward management, prior approvals, reporting, and compliance. What alternative approach would achieve NIH's intended purpose with less burden, and what examples or evidence could COGR use to support its recommendations?

International Collaborations
•Where is your institution seeing the greatest impact from changes or declines in international research collaborations? For example, are there effects on ongoing research projects, access to expertise or research sites, recruitment and retention of researchers, scientific progress, or institutional partnerships? What impacts are emerging that you think COGR should understand as it considers advocacy priorities?

Institutional Strategy & Long-Term Impacts
•Beyond the immediate effects of individual federal policy changes, what broader impacts are you seeing on your institution’s research enterprise? Consider effects on research priorities and long-term planning, the ability to recruit and retain talent, research collaborations, project continuity, institutional finances, and the pace of scientific discovery. What consequences—intended or unintended—are emerging?•Unintended consequences: What impacts are emerging that federal policymakers may not fully appreciate?•Long-term effects: Are current changes affecting your institution’s ability to sustain research capacity or make long-term commitments?•Ripple effects: How are changes in one area—for example, funding, award terms, or compliance requirements—affecting other parts of the research enterprise?•Institutional differences: Are the impacts falling disproportionately on particular types of institutions, disciplines, investigators, or career stages?••Are institutions assessing or modeling the potential long-term consequences of federal research policy changes? For example, are you evaluating possible effects on research capacity, workforce, financial sustainability, or innovation? What scenarios are institutions planning for, and where would shared analysis, better data, or coordinated action be most valuable?

Modernizing Federal Research Administration
•How could the federal government fundamentally rethink the administration of research funding by leveraging emerging technologies, including AI, to reduce duplication, simplify requirements, and better coordinate processes across agencies? Where are the greatest opportunities to move beyond incremental improvements toward a more integrated, government-wide approach?