	Introduction

The federal government is the largest source of funding for academic research and development (R&D) at U.S. universities and colleges, obligating more than $28 billion in FY2016. As part of oversight of federal funding for academic research, Congress and federal agencies have established requirements through statutes, regulations, and guidance documents that U.S. universities, colleges, and other research institutions must comply with when applying for, receiving, and reporting on the results of federal research grants. Such requirements are implemented to ensure transparency and help prevent waste, fraud, and abuse. Academic stakeholders generally recognize the need for oversight to ensure accountability, safety, and the integrity of the research enterprise. However, for more than a decade many have raised concerns that federal regulations and administrative requirements are having unintended consequences, such as reducing research productivity and the potential return on federal investments and discouraging students from pursuing careers in academic research. Businesses, state and local governments, and nonprofit organizations, among others, provide the remaining sources of funding for academic R&D. Federal funds are provided through grants and other mechanisms by more than two dozen federal agencies. The Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act of 1999 ( P.L. Legislative Activities in the 114th Congress

Reflecting congressional concerns over the amount of time and resources spent complying with federal regulations and administrative requirements, legislation in the 114 th Congress sought to streamline and reduce federal academic research requirements. 114-255 ). Additionally, the act requires the Director of OMB to establish an advisory committee—known as the "Research Policy Board" (RPB) and composed of both federal and nonfederal members—to make recommendations on the modification and harmonization of regulations and policies across research funding agencies to minimize administrative burdens while maintaining effective oversight of federally funded research. American Innovation and Competitiveness Act

On January 6, 2017, the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act (AICA) was signed into law ( P.L. 114-329 ). Specifically, the act
requires the Director of OMB to establish an interagency working group that is responsible for reviewing administrative requirements imposed on federally funded researchers and recommending ways to minimize regulatory burden, including through the development of a uniform grant format and a centralized database for investigator biosketches; requires the NSF Inspector General to conduct an audit of NSF's policies and procedures related to subrecipient monitoring; and increases the micro-purchase threshold for procurement activities—below which supplies or services can be acquired without soliciting competitive bids—from $3,500 to $10,000 for research grants awarded by NSF, NASA, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Other Selected Legislation

On December 23, 2016, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 was signed into law ( P.L. 114-328 ). Federal Coordination and Stakeholder Engagement

Two overarching, related areas of concern for many stakeholders have been federal coordination of regulations across agencies, and effective stakeholder engagement. Further, Congress may broadly consider the appropriate balance between supporting the nation's academic research enterprise through efforts to streamline regulations and maintaining mechanisms for oversight, transparency, and accountability.
For decades, the federal government and academic research institutions have been partners in supporting American innovation, competitiveness, and economic growth. The federal government is the largest source of academic research and development (R&D) funding in the United States, providing funds through more than two dozen federal agencies, with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) providing the largest portions of federal R&D funding to U.S. colleges and universities.
As part of oversight of federal funding for academic research, Congress and federal agencies have established requirements through statutes, regulations, and guidance documents that U.S. universities and other research institutions must comply with when applying for, receiving, and reporting on the results of federal research grants. Such requirements seek to ensure transparency and effectiveness of federal funds, while helping to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse.
Academic research institutions broadly recognize the need for, and benefits from, federal regulations but have raised concerns that federal regulations and administrative requirements have produced unintended consequences, such as reducing research productivity and the return on federal investments. Surveys and assessment reports conducted over the past two decades have evaluated the benefits and challenges related to federal requirements for academic research. Among specific areas of concern frequently brought forth by researchers and academic administrators are the amount of time spent on completing administrative tasks compared to conducting research; the increasing number, and lack of harmonization, of requirements across federal funding agencies; the adequacy of stakeholder engagement in the review and modification of federal regulations; and the need for updated requirements for human subjects and animal research.
Legislation was enacted in the 114th Congress that addressed a number of the concerns, including the 21st Century Cures Act (P.L. 114-255), the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act (AICA, P.L. 114-329), and the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (NDAA, P.L. 114-328). Enacted provisions addressed a subset of issues focused on specific agencies, including conflicts of interest disclosure, financial reporting, and subrecipient monitoring. Enacted provisions also addressed cross-agency efforts by directing the establishment of an advisory committee (Research Policy Board) with federal and non-federal stakeholders, as well as an interagency working group (WG) on federal research regulations.
The 115th Congress may conduct oversight as agencies work to implement the provisions enacted in the 114th Congress. Congress may further consider legislation to extend certain provisions more widely across the federal government. For current and potential future efforts to streamline and harmonize federal regulations, a central consideration will likely be ensuring that mechanisms to evaluate transparency and accountability of federal funds are not diminished.