Temporary Restraining Order Barring the DOE

On Wednesday, April 16, a federal court in Massachusetts issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) barring the DOE from implementing the 15% rate cap on DOE awards and/or terminating any grants based on a grantee's refusal to accept an indirect cost rate less than its negotiated rate. The TRO applies to all DOE awards impacted by the proposed rate cap, including Columbia's DOE awards. Accordingly, in the absence of any other type of communication from DOE, PIs with DOE awards should continue their research activities as usual, and the University's negotiated indirect cost will apply.  As with other TROs, this is a temporary measure. The court will have a hearing at the end of April to determine next steps. The University will be watching this matter.