Update: COVID-19 Information and Resources
03/17/2020, 03:30:01 PM
From the Vice President for Research at the University of Houston. View this message in browser.
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Dear Research Faculty,

We continue to  monitor the local and global health situation around the novel coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 disease. Research support services are so far functioning normally, including labs, core facilities and service centers. Funding agencies are starting to issue notices affecting travel, proposal submission, awards issuance, submission of reports, invoicing and other impactful changes to sponsored research activities as they relate to COVID-19. 

We are updating our website daily as needed. We will inform you via email of important updates as they become available and provide weekly updates in our Inside Research e-newsletter.

Continuity of Operation

The University of Houston remains open and all offices and services continue to operate. It is expected that faculty, research staff and graduate students continue to remain engaged and work on their research projects (onsite or remotely) and continue to be supported on grants by contributing in ways that may not have been planned before. If a researcher is absent from work due to illness their salary can continue to be paid from the award in accordance with MAPP 02.02.03 Leaves of Absence.

Travel

The University is restricting all domestic and international business-related travel. Check with the service provider whether they now refund items that would have been previously non-refundable, such as airfare or registration fees, associated with grant-related travel that has been canceled due to COVID-19. In cases where the trip-related cost was already charged to the award, and the service provider is unable or unwilling to refund it, Federal Sponsors will allow the expense to remain on the award, with documentation to show that effort was made to seek the refund.

Delays

Federal agencies have not made changes to proposal submission deadlines or allowances for late reports. If you experience any delays in the project scope of work caused by COVID-19, you must inform your program manager in writing. This also applies if you anticipate a late report or need a budget grant extension. Work with your OCG contact throughout the process.

Human Subjects

Because the University is limiting in-person contacts, research-related visits to campus for human participants should be stopped. Read the guidelines provided on our website carefully to ensure compliance and subject safety. If your research team needs to reach human subjects by phone when working remotely, inexpensive cell phones used solely for the purpose of the grant might be a defensible charge to the grant. Check with your OCG contact before purchasing phone plans. Should you have questions regarding human subjects research, please contact cphs@central.uh.edu.

Animal Care

Institutions are required to have animal care emergency plans in place as a condition to a federal award involving animal research. Animal Care Operations (ACO) is on campus to take care of animal husbandry needs.

ACO continues to provide and care for the animals and, as you would expect, maintains an exceptionally clean and organized animal facility. Research using animals will continue as long as the University of Houston is open.  Should you have questions regarding animal husbandry, please contact:  aco@central.uh.edu.

 

Best regards,

Amr Elnashai, FREng  
Vice President for Research and Technology Transfer

Amr Elnashai | VP for Research and Technology Transfer | elnashai@uh.edu

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