COVID-19 Research Continuity Planning for the University of Utah: March 17 – March 30

The Office of the Vice President for Research (VPR) remains operational  as we continue to closely monitor the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. 

First and foremost, thank you for your incredible response to the RFP for Emerging COVID-19/SARS-CoV-2 seed grant research initiative! We received many intriguing proposals from virtually every part of campus, and are currently in the process of carefully reviewing them. Due to the high number of proposals, we wanted to provide a community update on the next steps for the COVID-19 seed grant initiative.    

Our offices will begin to send out award notifications over the next few days, and into next week, as we determine how some groups can heighten research efficiencies and outcomes by combining their efforts. A final announcement will be made once all proposals have been reviewed, and all applicants have been notified of their status. In the meantime, if you have any question, please contact Nicole Frank or visit the 3i Initiative website. 

Here are our most recent research community updates: 

• The Research Town Hall materials (video, slides, and chatroom transcript) are now available on box. Please download the video to access audio and sound. 
• The Guidelines for Mandatory Researchers on Campus has been updated. 
• The Office of Research Participant Advocacy (ORPA) guidance has been updated. Maintaining open communication with study participants during this time is very crucial. ORPA is available to assist in communicating with your participants about the changing environment and how it impacts their participation. 
• The Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training  was posted for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Research Associates 
• Clarification on the recent message regarding “Temporary changes for Documenting Informed Consent during COVID19 Pandemic.” 

• The recent mandate to suspend patient signatures on informed consent for high-risk patients is for standard of care consent only, not for research 

• A resource on Mentoring Through Crisis and Uncertainty has been posted for PIs. 
• Purdue University is offering a webinar on “Providing Effective Graduate Mentoring During the COVID-19 Crisis” 

Thank you for all of your input as we strive to provide needed information and guidance on the VPR website   as quickly as possible. We appreciate all of your hard work to keep research operations running smoothly as much as possible during these challenging events. 

Sincerely,  

Andy Weyrich
Vice President for Research  

Diane Pataki
Associate Vice President for Research 

Erin Rothwell
Associate Vice President for Research Compliance & Integrity 

 

Blog Search