SUBJECT:

Continuity of Research

We appreciate the care and speed with which researchers have modified their work in order to prioritize the health of all by reducing on-site activity and on-site staff while maintaining essential research. Essential staff members remain on-site to maintain our research infrastructure, and researchers off-site are continuing virtual data collection and analysis, writing proposals, reports and publications, and continuing research through remote technologies. Many members of our research community have turned their expertise and energy toward finding solutions to the COVID-19 emergency and are demonstrating the determination and innovation that have made UC San Diego one of the top research universities in the nation.

We will continue to post updates at https://blink.ucsd.edu/research/COVID-19-research.html, and will host Research Town Halls via webinar on April 9 and 15 (see below for more information). UC San Diego requirements and resources are highlighted below:

ON-SITE RESEARCH ACTIVITY AND PERSONNEL:

• ALL RESEARCH must move as much activity as possible to a remote setting;
• On-site activity must be minimized, and should be restricted to critical activities, in accordance with campus notice of 3/17 (http://adminrecords.ucsd.edu/Notices/2020/2020-3-17-1.html);
• Researchers should revisit plans for approved on-site research to ensure that personnel on-site have been kept at a minimum – generally, no more than 1 person per research space or no more than 15% of normal on-site staffing levels;
• Students are not considered essential personnel, and are to be conducting on-site activity only by exception;
• CDC guidelines for social distancing and sanitary work spaces and facilities must be followed in all labs and research spaces.

• In-person human research is restricted to clinical trials involving FDA-regulated interventions such as an investigational drug or device treating serious or life-threatening diseases, and human subjects research directed to identification or development of clinical responses to COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 (such as vaccines or treatments). Whenever possible, study visits for clinical trials should use telephonic, computer or video encounters.
• Studies and research participant encounters for other human subject research may continue for currently enrolled participants using telephonic, computer or video encounters, but must otherwise be postponed and new participant enrollment suspended until the Governor’s Order and University limitations are lifted.
• IRB guidance is available at https://irb.ucsd.edu/Home.FWx.

• Individual agencies continue to issue new guidance that is available on the OCGA website listed below and includes information about proposal and reporting deadlines, allowable costs, managing awards and compensatory supplements.
• All expenses related to COVID-19 should be tracked closely, to help in the preparation of future applications for supplemental funding and university efforts to seek disaster recovery funding.
• Grant accounts should not be overspent. Overages will have to be covered by the use of PI discretionary funds and/ or department or division funds.
• Grantees should contact program managers to ensure they are fully aware of the challenges PI’s are facing and the likely costs for which supplemental funding will be required.
• Sponsor guidance, FAQs, and a summary matrix are available at https://blink.ucsd.edu/sponsor/ocga/covid-19-updates.html.

• External funding opportunities are available at https://blink.ucsd.edu/research/COVID-19-research-ops.html.
• The Office of Research Affairs is collecting information about those able and willing to engage in COVID-19 research. We are in the midst of finalizing a more robust tool to identify these researchers and enable them to match their expertise with one another to promote new collaborations. That instrument will be available in the coming days at https://blink.ucsd.edu/research/COVID-19-research-ops.html.

We of course are ready to answer any questions, and offer any assistance we can, at any time.

Elizabeth H. Simmons Executive Vice Chancellor Sandra A. Brown Vice Chancellor for Research David A. Brenner Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences Margaret S. Leinen Vice Chancellor for Marine Sciences