Last updated: July 2, 2020
The information below is intended to communicate COVID-19 impacts on specialized activities within the CU Boulder research community, including faculty, postdocs, staff, students, researchers and partners. We will continue to add relevant information as it becomes available.
CU Boulder is beginning the process of returning to research and creative work operations on campus starting with a soft launch May 26.
Our plans prioritize the safety and wellbeing of our students, faculty, researchers, staff and community. Please be patient as we gradually support more research and creative work on campus.
Note: Any work that can be done remotely should continue to be done off-campus.
Our return will take place in phases. Phase 1 (limited work on campus), starting May 26, will incrementally increase on-campus research and creative work while introducing safety and monitoring processes that can evolve as we transition to less restrictive phases over the coming year.
Planning for Phase 2 (expanded work on campus) and Phase 3 (full operations) is already well underway. A faculty-led committee has developed general guidance and criteria for selecting what research and creative work and field work will resume through these phases.
As we return to campus, we will integrate guidance shown to manage the spread of the virus, especially:
These guidelines will be reinforced through a Skillsoft training that will be required of everyone returning to work on campus. To access this training, visit mycuinfo.colorado.edu, click on Skillsoft, then CU Boulder, then search for CU: COVID-19 Safety and Awareness—CU Boulder.
Requests to return to on-campus research and creative work or field work will be initiated by the Principal Investigator completing the Request to Return form. Criteria to be considered include: criticality of the research; implications of further delay; the full range of risks associated with returning to the activities; and target occupancy densities at a range of levels (room, floor, building, campus, etc). This form will be forwarded to your chair/institute director who will evaluate the request based on the above criteria.
Requests approved by the chair/institute director will be reviewed by the deans/associate deans and then by the vice chancellor for Research and Innovation. You will be notified by email with the decision. Requests will be reviewed on a weekly basis starting Wednesday, May 20 with decisions communicated by the following Monday. If the chair or institute director has questions about the request, it may result in a delay in completing the review. Please be patient as we work through this process.
The Office of Contracts and Grants is submitting proposals, accepting awards, issuing subawards and addressing Sponsor, PI, department and other sponsored research needs as usual. The Council on Government Relations also has an up-to-date listing of funding agency-issued COVID-19 related guidance.
The Council on Government Relations (COGR), an association of Research Universities and Affiliated Medical Centers and Independent Research Institutes, is compiling Federal Agency Guidance, Institutional Guidance and Additional Resources.
CU Boulder’s coronavirus webpage has updated FAQs on: research, teaching and learning continuity and options for faculty, staff and students; athletics; and human resources guidance.
An important first step is to stay home if you are sick, and to communicate that request to your teams. In general, contingency planning could include:
CU Boulder’s coronavirus webpage has updated FAQs that define Critical Services/Employees.
Guidance on institutional and agency responses to COVID-19 continues to develop. At this time, the Council on Governmental Relations (COGR) is providing information on federal awards.
Researchers who can work remotely should do so. For those who have a critical need to be on campus, meaning where there is a risk of disruption, catastrophic loss or animal care requirements, should be listed with your department or institute as critical personnel.
Yes. CU Boulder’s indirect cost rate with the federal government includes sick leave and other paid absences that are permitted under university policy.
Unfortunately, we do not yet have an answer; we will let everyone know as soon as we do.
Researchers are not eligible for the 10% critical pay. It is being limited to those employees who handle the safety, health and support of our students. These individuals will be in contact with students on a daily basis and may not be able to adhere to social distancing at all times.
Effective Wednesday, March 11, the campus suspended all university-funded travel—foreign or domestic. CU Boulder’s coronavirus webpage has updated FAQs that address Travel and Study Abroad.
Additionally, we recommend reaching out to the conference organizer about the logistics of the event such as cancellation, relocation or virtual participation. If you are the organizer, you may wish to consider developing contingency plans. Follow the State Department and CU Boulder guidelines on foreign travel.
NSF is currently working with federal partners on a number of travel proposal and award-related issues pertaining to COVID-19. NSF will release that information and provide guidance as information becomes available. In the meantime, please continue to follow all relevant policies and procedures. As we learn more about other funding agencies, we will share that information.
The Office of Contracts and Grants is well prepared with the technology and remote work policies and practices to carry on business as usual remotely. OCG has been paperless with remote work structures for 6 years, so support for research administrators and researchers should be seamless and comport with our campus leadership's commitment to research continuity.
OCG staff is submitting proposals, accepting awards, issuing subawards, and addressing Sponsor, PI, department and other sponsored research needs, as usual.
If and when funding agencies issue COVID-19 related guidance, those updates are posted here.
The Council on Government Relations (COGR), an association of Research Universities and Affiliated Medical Centers and Independent Research Institutes, is compiling Federal Agency Guidance, Institutional Guidance and Additional Resources.
If your sponsor sends guidance to the Office of Contracts and Grants, that notice will be forwarded to you via email by OCG. Please contact your OCG team member with specific questions or concerns.
OCG is the Authorized Organizational Representative and is continuing to operate as normal. OCG will submit your No-Cost Extensions (NCEs) and other official notifications to Sponsors through OCG’s normal procedures. Contact your OCG Grant or Contract Officer for assistance.
NIH issued a notice on March 16, 2020 stating that if unanticipated costs related to clinical trials or human subject research are identified due to impacts of COVID-19, and unobligated balances are not available to rebudget, recipients may request administrative supplements from NIH.
In general, yes, provided you remain engaged in your project. Current NIH and NSF prior approval requirements regarding disengagement from the project for three (3) months or more, and effort reductions of 25 percent or more, remain in effect.
Yes. Proposals are being submitted by the Office of Contracts and Grants and all staff are working remotely. Please give your proposal to your proposal analyst at least the standard 5 business days in advance of your submission deadline. More time would be greatly appreciated.
At present, all federal agencies are accepting proposal submissions as usual. In the event a COVID-19 outbreak closes a federal agency that is currently accepting proposals, we expect the agency will continue to accept proposals; however, the proposals will most likely remain in a queue (e.g., within the Grants.gov system), pending resumption of agency operations – as has been the case during recent federal budget-related shutdowns.
The Council On Governmental Relations developed a webpage that features comprehensive links to key federal agencies' COVID-19 operations.
Most sponsors do not accept late proposals, and if they grant extensions, they do so on a case-by-case basis. It is recommended that you check the Sponsor’s solicitation deadlines to determine if they have made any adjustments to their submission schedule. Some Sponsors are modifying deadlines for specific solicitations.
Given that most campus staff and researchers, including those within the Office of Contracts and Grants, are now working remotely, and operational, it may prove difficult to convince a sponsor that your circumstances warrant granting an extension past the published deadline. Faculty who are working on a proposal now should plan on submitting by the sponsor’s stated deadline regardless of whether there is an active COVID-19 outbreak, unless the PI is experiencing unique circumstances and/or personally affected. If you personally experience impacts from COVID-19, reviewing the sponsor's standard exception policies may be warranted.
With respect to proposal submissions, on March 9, 2020, NIH published the following notice related to COVID-19.
“When delays occur because the applicant or recipient organization is officially closed or unable to submit grant applications due to the effects of COVID-19, the NIH will consider accepting applications late, on a case-by-case basis, in accordance with the NIH Grants Policy Statement, Section 2.3.9, under the following circumstances:
On March 10, 2020, NIH also published the following notice related to COVID-19:
“This Guide Notice intends to address general questions associated with proposal submission and award management that may arise in relation to COVID-19. NIH is providing this information as a service to our applicant and recipient communities in the hopes it will address high-level questions that may arise in this regard. Please note that given the fact that COVID-19 and associated impacts continue to evolve, applicants and recipients are strongly encouraged to monitor this website for updates. NIH intends to publish detailed guidance related to administrative flexibilities and associated FAQs.”
On March 12-13, 2020, NIH published the following notice and FAQ related to COVID-19:
NIH-funded researchers are strongly encouraged to read this NIH notice, which provides a number of important flexibilities for managing NIH awards during this public health emergency. Highlights include:
NIH Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): COVID-19 Flexibilities for Applicants and Recipients
This document provides clarifying answers surrounding the newly authorized flexibilities, particularly with respect to:
NSF has a webpage for the research community with detailed guidance regarding COVID-19. This includes guidance for awardee organizations, researchers and reviewers of NSF proposals. Learn more
Per NSF’s Proposal and Awards Policies and Procedures Guide:
“In the event of a natural or anthropogenic disaster, or when NSF is closed due to inclement weather or other reason that interferes with an organization’s ability to meet a proposal submission deadline, NSF has developed the following guidelines for use by impacted organizations.
With respect to proposal submissions, on March 16, 2020, the DOE Office of Science stated in a notice related to COVID-19 that: “If the lead principal investigator (PI) or the applicant institution are subject to a quarantine or a closure, deadlines for submitting pre-applications, letters of intent, or applications may be extended by no more than fourteen (14) days from the applicable due date.”
The Research & Innovation Office (RIO) maintains a list of funding opportunities related to COVID-19.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services updated a broad agency announcement (BAA) on March 6, 2020 to focus specifically on products to diagnose, prevent or treat coronavirus infections. The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) issued the BAA to solicit proposals for advanced development and licensure of COVID-19 diagnostics, vaccines or medicines, such as therapeutics or antivirals. BARDA will provide funding, as well as expertise and core services to support development projects selected through this BAA. These products include diagnostic tests (assays); vaccines; therapeutics; medications to help regulate or normalize the immune system (immunomodulators); therapeutics targeting lung repair; medicines that prevent infections either before or after exposure to the virus (pre-exposure or post-exposure prophylaxis); respiratory protective devices; and ventilators. Learn more
The National Science Foundation, as of March 4, 2020, is funding 20 research projects across the agency involving COVID-19. In response to the urgency of COVID-19 and increasing inquiries from the research community, NSF issued a letter to researchers inviting additional proposals for rapid response grants related to the virus. This letter welcomes research to help understand COVID-19, inform and educate the public about virus transmission and prevention, and develop effective strategies for addressing this challenge at the local, state and national levels. Support for these efforts is made through NSF’s Rapid Response Research (RAPID) funding mechanism, which enables the agency to swiftly process and support research that addresses an urgent need. Learn more
The Department of Energy (DOE) is soliciting ideas about how the department and the National Laboratories can contribute resources for science and technology efforts around COVID-19. From the DOE:
“Through its user facilities, computational power and enabling infrastructure, DOE has unique capabilities that the scientific community may leverage for the COVID-19 response and recovery. DOE does not provide medical and clinical work; instead, the department's mission complements the efforts of the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense and other federal partners by helping to understand the scientific phenomena contributing to COVID-19, from the structure of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes the disease, to models that can mimic its spread. The department encourages researchers to consider scientific questions that underpin COVID-19 response and that the research community may answer using DOE user facilities, computational resources and enabling infrastructure. Any research questions that the scientific community may address with DOE resources can be emailed to SC.DCL@science.doe.gov.”
This printable Laboratory Ramp-Down Checklist may be helpful. You can also download the checklist as a customizable Word document so you can modify it for your own needs.
Yes. All IRB staff are able to work remotely and will continue operations as usual with the exception of office hours, which have been cancelled until further notice. The IRB office staff can be contacted via email at IRBAdmin@colorado.edu.
At this time, the IRB will prioritize Amendments to research studies that address changes required for COVID-19 protection measures. This means that other submissions, including Initial Applications and non-protection related Amendments may be delayed. If you are making changes to your study for COVID-19 protections, please explicitly note this in the HRP-213 Amendment Form.
During the current COVID-19 outbreak, changes to your research studies may be necessary to protect your study participants, your study staff, and yourself. Federal regulatory and CU Boulder Policy requirements must still be met during this time. Any changes in the ways in which you interact with study participants–to include in-person recruitment, Informed Consent, and data collection procedures–must be reviewed and approved by the IRB before being implemented unless the change is to eliminate an apparent immediate hazard to participants. Please note, this would be a very unusual occurrence at CU Boulder.
Be thoughtful and give complete information as to how you are providing updates to your study. Consider and address how you will update current research subjects if you are changing the procedures for which they originally provided their Consent. Ensure you submit all supporting documents needed to make these updates
Yes.
Yes, we are reviewing new studies that will not start until the campus is operating normally again. We encourage you to continue submissions through this time so there is not a backlog when everyone returns to campus.
Requests for access to lab and vivarium space are handled separately, so to gain access to both, investigators must submit two requests.
The following are updates to procedures in OAR spaces:
We anticipate this event will be rescheduled for sometime in the fall. We will update this information as soon as a new date is confirmed.
The March 18 Frontiers in Energy Research Blitz is cancelled.
The March 19 Philanthropic Funding Workshop is cancelled.
The campus is encouraging employees to work remotely whenever possible as part of our efforts to enact social distancing and mitigate the spread of the virus. As such, the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative team is transitioning to working remotely at this time.
For general inquiries related to innovation and entrepreneurship at CU Boulder, feel free to email innovate@colorado.edu.
Currently, the Innovation Station will be operating on limited hours until further notice as part of the university's efforts to enact social distancing and mitigate the spread of the virus. We apologize for any inconvenience and will be sure to update you on when we begin operating on a regular schedule.
For general inquiries related to innovation and entrepreneurship at CU Boulder, feel free to email innovate@colorado.edu.
The campus is encouraging employees to work remotely whenever possible as part of our efforts to enact social distancing and mitigate the spread of the virus. As such, the Venture Partners team is transitioning to working remotely at this time and the office will be closed untili further notice.
To get in touch with a specific team member, please visit our Contact Us page. For general inquiries, feel free to email vpcontact@colorado.edu.
As the university continues to monitor the status of COVID-19 and potential local impacts, certain Venture Partners at CU Boulder events (including those hosted by the Commercialization Academy and Commercialization Network) have been either cancelled or moved virtually. View our full list of events here.
For any questions or concerns, please reach out to Programs Manager Collin Bunch at collin.bunch@colorado.edu.
OPA anticipates this event will be rescheduled sometime in the summer or fall. OPA will update the postdoc community via the Doc Report as soon as a new date is confirmed.
The full details and Zoom link are here.
OPA will update the postdoc community via the Doc Report if a new date is confirmed.
The full details and Zoom link are here.
The full details and Zoom link are here.
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