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COVID-19 FAQs

Notre Dame Research is working with laboratories and facilities to help support operations, ensure access to accurate information, and to address disruption to research activities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Below are COVID-19 research-specific FAQs regarding:

Access Travel Proposals and Grants Compliance Budgets Timeline / Future Planning Other 

Access 

Will this affect access to my research facility, laboratory, or the maintenance of critical components?

The University has suspended laboratory research operations as of Friday, March 27, 2020. The only exception to this suspension are those researchers conducting coronavirus-related research.

Labs have been placed in a “hibernation” state, during which time only a small number of formally approved essential personnel are provided access to maintain equipment and specimens, so that laboratories can be smoothly returned to normal operations when that is possible.

A memorandum from the Vice President for Research describing additional details about the lab closings is available here.

Although lab operations are suspended, faculty, post docs, graduate and undergraduate students are encouraged to remain productive remotely by engaging in computational and simulation work, data analysis, paper and proposal writing, and other similar activities.

Can undergraduate students continue on campus research? 

For the foreseeable future, no undergraduate students will be allowed on campus to perform research. Department chairs and/or principal investigators should make efforts to reformat the research to be done remotely, if possible. Students should contact their relevant faculty member for guidance and support. 

Travel

I have upcoming international travel that is essential to my research. What should I do?

All University-reimbursed international travel is prohibited for the foreseeable future. All personal international travel is strongly discouraged.

I have upcoming domestic travel that is essential to my research. What should I do?

University-reimbursed domestic travel must be postponed or canceled unless an exception is granted by the Vice President for Research or the appropriate Dean. Requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Proposals and Grants

What guidance have sponsor agencies shared to date?

Due to the evolving nature of the situation, sponsors are still formulating guidance. Some have proactively extended deadlines and are beginning to address questions regarding grant expenses.

Notre Dame Research Administration (NDRA) is actively collating a list of sponsors sharing COVID-19 related guidance.

A proposal I am working on will soon be due, will this affect me?

Although working remotely, units of NDRA are currently fully functioning and available, including pre-award services. Please email ndr-preaward-list@nd.edu or your assigned pre-award team member for specific questions. Sponsors are also beginning to provide extensions to proposal deadlines.

My progress report, final report, financial or closeout report may be delayed.  What should I do?

Sponsors are beginning to communicate regarding additional flexibilities to due dates resulting from COVID-19. Please check sponsor guidance, and communicate with your program and/or grants officer if possible, as well as your grants program manager in NDRA. 

Will peer review of my proposal be delayed?

Many agencies are in the process of moving to virtual peer reviews.

Will sponsors provide supplemental grant funding for additional costs and delays resulting from the COVID-19?

Some sponsors are beginning to communicate the potential for administrative supplements to funding. Please contact your sponsor program officer. 

Compliance

My research project requires approval of a compliance committee (IRB, IACUC, IBC, or RBB) how will this be affected by the COVID-19 issue?

Notre Dame Research Compliance services are currently fully functional and available. Please email compliance@nd.edu with any specific questions.

May I continue my human subjects research?

Due to the increased risk to subjects and researchers, any research procedures requiring in person contact with human subjects is to be paused at this time. Each principal investigator is encouraged to consider any inherent risk to their study team and subjects, and take additional appropriate action, especially with regard to public health information and safety protocols. See the campus safety section for more information.

How can I minimize risk to lab personnel or subjects?

Please see the campus safety section and the University Health Services website for guidance.

How can I continue my human subjects research?

Any research procedures that do not require in person interaction (online data collection, data analysis, etc.) are not being limited at this time. If a study is already approved to be carried out remotely, there is no need to submit an amendment to the approved IRB protocol. If a study does not have approval for online interaction or data collection, an amendment may be submitted to continue the research online. Please contact Notre Dame Research Compliance about such changes at compliance@nd.edu.

Will the animal facility still be providing services?

The animal care facility, Freimann Life Science Center (FLSC), is being maintained while laboratory operations are suspended. Please send any related questions to freimann@nd.edu.

Budgets

If employees must have their home as their work location, will they still be able to get paid by grants?

Yes, if employees can work successfully in a remote environment, then their salary can continue to be paid on grants. If an employee cannot successfully work from home (e.g., the nature of their duties requires them to work on-site or they do not have home internet or access to a computer) and alternate duties that benefit the project cannot be identified, then the direct charge to the award may not be appropriate. However, sponsors are beginning to address this contingency. For employees following required self-isolation protocols, the above guidance applies. For questions, please contact research@nd.edu.

Will funding agencies consider longer no-cost extensions if they are needed to finish a project after disruption?

Researchers should document the actual impact of COVID-19 on the progress of their grants to provide substantiation for any future no-cost extension request. Sponsors are beginning to communicate regarding increased flexibility for no-cost extensions. Please work with your NDRA grants program manager or contact post-award-gpms-list@nd.edu.

If the agency program officer or grants officer is unavailable (or if the agency is closed) due to COVID-19, can grant personnel continue to work and charge salary to the project?

In most cases, you should be able to continue work until the period of performance and funding is exhausted. If prior approvals are required, NDRA grants program managers will work with you on prior approval requests. Some agencies are beginning to provide flexibility to prior approval requirements that do not involve a change of scope. Please work with your NDRA grants program manager or contact post-award-gpms-list@nd.edu.

I am a researcher on a conference grant which may be affected by COVID-19. I have already incurred expenses that may not be cancellable. Can I charge these to my award? And can I pay the travel fees and any associated costs for the collaborators that were planning on attending?

If due to the COVID-19 pandemic the principal investigator/organizer seeks to cancel the conference, the organizer should first confer with the program officer and grants management specialist (if appropriate) to decide whether to cancel the event, postpone the event, or convert the event to an online format. If a conference is canceled with the concurrence of the funding agency, the non-refundable costs may be an allowable charge to the project. Principal investigators should retain documentation of these communications with the sponsor.

Should I track budgetary impacts on my research due to the coronavirus, and if so, how?

Budgetary impacts due to COVID-19 may be internally tracked using the following Activity Code set by the Controller’s Office: 11019 "COVID-19 Related Costs." 

Timeline / Future Planning

My research contract has a strict timeline and I am concerned about a possible failure to perform within the agreed-upon statement of work. What should I do?

The researcher should reach out to the program officer or contracting officer as soon as a delay is anticipated. It is recommended that investigators actively document specific situations to provide a basis for any adjustments that may need to be requested at a later date. For specific questions, please contact research@nd.edu.

If I can’t get to my research site, or my research will be severely impacted by travel restrictions associated with the COVID-19, what should I do?

It is expected that federal agencies will recognize the difficulties inherent in the current situation and work with institutions to facilitate the conduct of the project. Researchers should document the impact of COVID-19 on their research and contact their sponsor program officer or contract officer. For specific questions, please contact research@nd.edu.

What is the status of summer research programming at Notre Dame-sponsored locations for students?

In-person summer education and research programs for enrolled or matriculating students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels will be transitioned online. This includes both on-campus programs and domestic programs taking place off campus. All international travel remains prohibited. If you have specific questions, please check directly with the relevant program for more information.

There is a possibility for select in-person programming during the second half of the summer, beginning on July 6.  A decision regarding the second half of the summer will be made by May 15.

Do we cancel or adjust on-campus research-related gatherings or conferences beyond the Easter holiday? If so, when do we make these adjustments, and how far in advance should we look?

All events for the foreseeable future should be canceled. Because the situation continues to evolve, please check your emails regularly and follow updates on coronavirus.nd.edu for up-to-date information. 

Other

I am preparing to open an internal to ND competition for fellowships/funding/etc. Should I delay this?

There are no requirements that internal competitions should be delayed. However, competitions, like other official events, should take into account the audience, potential remote or off-site considerations, and other aspects that can impact efforts such as announcements, rollout, submissions, review, and determinations, as well as the intended scope of activity. Adjustments should be made following current/evolving official guidance.

I have personal protective equipment from my lab that I would like to donate to healthcare providers. How do I do so? 

The University is working with the St. Joseph County Unified Command to coordinate and distribute PPE throughout the community. If your laboratory or facility has items to donate, please follow these guidelines.

What if I have a research-related question not answered in the FAQ?

Please call the NDR Hotline for your research-related questions during regular business hours at +1 574-631-7432. This number is monitored between 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST, Monday to Friday. If you call outside of these business hours, please leave a voicemail and your call will be returned as soon as possible. You can also email research@nd.edu at anytime. 

Additionally, NDR's relevant research-related contacts are listed below. All email addresses are actively monitored.

Need more information?

Please visit coronavirus.nd.edu for additional University guidance and updates during the COVID-19 pandemic.