COVID-19 Guidance and Resources

Communications

• 03/20/2020 – Message from Campus Leaders on Reduced Operations
• 03/27/2020 – UNC System Announces Work-Leave Provisions for April
• 05/21/2020 – Message from Chancellor on Return to Campus and Carolina RoadMap
• 05/23/2020 – Plans to Scale-Up Research on UNC Campus
• 04/21/2021 – Guidance on returning to campus

UNC Research

• UNC Research COVID-19 Website
• UNC Research COVID-19 Q&A Session from June 8, 2020
• Directions and Guidance for All On-Campus Research
• UNC Research Special Coverage on COVID-19

Other Resources

• UNC Coronavirus Webpage
• UNC HR FAQs for Faculty and Staff
• Campus Guidance and FAQs for Faculty and Staff
• Campus Guidance and FAQs on Travel
• UNC Finance Operational Updates
• COVID-19 Resources for Graduate Students
• UNC System Coronavirus Resource Center

Are proposal still being submitted to the sponsor?

Yes, both the Office of Sponsored Programs and Sponsored Programs Office are fully operational during remote operations.

Which federal agencies have made major changes in proposal submission and award management guidance in response to COVID-19?

The Council on Governmental Relations (COGR) maintains a matrix of agency guidance that describes how various federal agencies have implemented policies that are consistent with the authorities granted to them under OMB.

Is there anything I should do if an OSP managed sponsored project has halted or slowed progress due to COVID-19?

Sponsor guidance may vary. Please contact your department’s Sponsored Projects Specialist for additional assistance.

Is there a template letter available for responding to sponsor about COVID-19 related impacts?

Yes, please reference the OSP COVID-19 Research Impacts – Sponsor Template and contact your department’s Sponsored Projects Specialist for additional assistance.

How should recipients submit details on how COVID-19 has delayed or affected the progress of research activities on NIH-funded grant projects?

Recipients of NIH funded research must report on any effects on award in their next RPPR submission. Recipients are not to submit standard letters, but rather report on these details within the RPPR. The funding IC will consider the effects that are reported by the recipient when reviewing and approving the RPPR.

What information should be included in NIH RPPRs due related to COVID-19?

Recipients of NIH Funded research should document COVID-19 effects and state that research outcomes are not available at this time. Recipients should outline when they believe they will be able to include details related to the disruptions to the research efforts. It is important to clearly document progress on grants as it may provide substantiation for any future no-cost time extension requests.

Salary

Several federal agencies have noted that salary support may be charged to a sponsored project if the institution policy allows; is this applicable at UNC?

The UNC system has a policy for pandemic and communicable diseases and it allows for 30 days of administrative leave and is not restricted by funding sources.

Travel

Where can I find updated guidance about travel impacted by COVID-19?

Please refer to sponsor guidance on any flexibilities or policies on travel and reference the UNC guidance on University travel regarding COVID-19.

Conflict of Interest

How is COI being managed during remote operations?

The COI Program is open and its staff continue to support researchers at UNC. The individual COI Committees will meet remotely as needed and the COI Chairs continue to assess the expedited reviews. Reports or certifications to sponsors such as organizational COI or FCOI reports are continuing to be processed and submitted as needed.

Research Involving Animals

What do I do if I am using or need to use animal subjects in my research?

Please see updated guidance on animal subjects in research.

Research Involving Humans

What do I do if I am using or need to use human subjects in my research?

Please see updated guidance on human subjects in research.

Will UNC subrecipient still received payment?

Currently there are not cuts to funding including subrecipients and are no delays in payment. As we receive information from sponsors, we will update OSP’s COVID-19 Resources page.

What is the guidance on repurposing funds during COVID?

Please be aware that the updated guidance from Federal agencies for sponsored research funds applies to UNC subrecipients as well. If you have a question about the ability to repurpose funds for a specific grant, check that agency’s website.

Do Federal regulations regarding administrative leave apply to industry sponsored projects?

No.

My industry sponsored project is ending this month. What should I do?

If you haven’t been in communication with your contact at the sponsor, please contact them ASAP to discuss milestones and potential extensions of the project. Email OSPContracting@unc.edu if an amendment to the contract is necessary.

Can I still pay postdocs/students on industry sponsored projects? If so, who do I contact?

Many industry partners have been flexible. Please contact Industry Contracting (OSPContracting@unc.edu) or Industry Relations (industry@unc.edu) to discuss specific options.

I won’t be able to meet a milestone. What are my next steps?

Many industry partners have been flexible with no cost extensions, supplemental funding and deliverable/milestone revisions. Please contact Industry Contracting (OSPContracting@unc.edu) or Industry Relations (industry@unc.edu) to discuss specific options.

My counterpart is no longer with the company. Who should I reach out to?

There are a myriad of reasons a counterpart may no longer be with the company. The extenuating circumstances and specific partnership can affect who you contact at the company moving forward. Our offices, Industry Contracting (OSPContracting@unc.edu) or Industry Relations (industry@unc.edu) can help identify a new contact, but each case will be different.

I have a new project starting 6/1/2020. Is there anything special I need to do?

Consider the specific situation we are in currently. Do you need a new postdoc, grad students, or technicians? How fast can you hire? If you have trouble hiring, should you revisit milestones? Please contact Industry Contracting (OSPContracting@unc.edu) or Industry Relations (industry@unc.edu) to discuss specific options.

An industry sponsor is asking for additional experiments without supplements. What can I do?

In the terms and conditions of the contract, it’s often standard for the industry sponsor to review upcoming publications at least 30 days prior to submission, often known as a “confidential information review.” This is not meant to delay or approve/disapprove your publications. This is to protect you from unknowingly disclosing a sponsoring company’s confidential information. It is possible the company delays review for any number of reasons. Please contact Industry Contracting (OSPContracting@unc.edu) or Industry Relations (industry@unc.edu) to discuss follow up strategies and for support with your publication review.

Hirings are going to be affected but what about renewal of positions that already exist like postdocs?

Refer to the link provided in the presentation to see what HR actions are currently paused. You can also work with your HR contact if you have any further questions.

Can milestones and time periods be changed several months later in the fall when things open up?

Yes, if we need to revise later on, we can do that as well. There may be reasons to wait on making any changes. Feel free to consult with Joon and Liz to discuss what options are best.

Impacts on Federal Grants

What level of detail concerning the impacts of COVID-19 should be included in an upcoming RPPR? Is the template emailed from OSP sufficient or should the PI be providing much of the details including payments vs completed/uncompleted work?

Recipients should document any COVID-19 effects and outline any research outcomes that are not available at the time of reporting. Recipients should outline when they believe they will be able to include details related to the disruptions to the research efforts. It is important to clearly document progress on grants as it may provide substantiation for any future no-cost time extension requests.

The template letter provided on the OSP website is not sufficient but can provide general language that may be included. Do NOT submit the template letter with your RPPR. The PI will need to provide detailed information on any COVID-19 effects to the project as part of the RPPR form. Some examples include:

• Staff idle time
• Impact to research outcomes for that reporting period
• Changes and adjustments made to accommodate remote work
• Ways the PI has reduced operational costs due to the reduction in operations such as renegotiation of offsite rental costs

Is submitting a subsequent, or new, progress report recommended if we submitted an RPPR just prior to the outbreak and do not have an RPPR due during this period?

No, we recommend you provide notification to NIH at the time that the next RPPR for your grant or cooperative agreement is required. For documentation purposes NIH has requested that we use the regularly scheduled annual reporting mechanism to provide this notification.

Do you expect Federal agencies to release more funding for salaries being paid during the months the University is closed due-to the pandemic?

Supplemental funding is available but as of now seems to be focused on COVID supplemental research. NIH’s most recent FAQ’s indicate that while documentation is required, recipients should not assume additional funds will be available if charging these costs results in a shortage of funds to eventually carry out the project. This could change over time and we recommend talking with your SPS about any concerns you might have so we can reach out to the appropriate sponsor for additional guidance.

Which section of the RPPR is the most appropriate in which to report COVID-19 Impacts?

Section F-Changes is the section of the RPPR in which you should describe any challenges or delays that you encountered during the reporting period and any actions or plans to resolve them. As a result, this is the most appropriate location to report COVID-19 Impacts to your project. While this section is the primary location that you should describe any impact to your project, additional information may be included throughout the RPPR depending on how your specific project was impacted by COVID-19. Examples of RPPR sections that may include additional information include but are not limited to: Section B-Accomplishments and Section D-Participants.

If there is an employee who took Families First Coronavirus Response Act: Employer Paid Leave Requirements (FFCRA) leave and was paid for from a department funding source, can that leave be placed on a sponsored project?

No, any FFCRA leave may not be placed on a sponsored project funding source (Federal and/or non-Federal).

COVID Impacts on Federal Contracts

If we have charged paid administrative leave on Federal contracts, do we need to request prior approval?

Yes, please contact your OSP SPS as soon as possible to request sponsor prior approval, even if it is after the fact. Any paid administrative leave charges on federal contracts require sponsor prior approval.

Impacts on Non-Profit Funded Projects

What do I do if I have personnel who are idle on my project? Are non-profit sponsors generally allowing for this flexibility?

They should contact their SPS so OSP can review the agreement terms and sponsor requirements to help determine if prior approval is required or some type of notification and if so assist in preparing this. Yes, in some cases our non-profit sponsors are allowing flexibilities, but they vary from sponsor to sponsor.

Should I reach out to the Non-Profit Sponsor directly if I have concerns about my project?

No, we ask that you please loop in OSP by reaching out to your SPS who can help to facilitate and coordinate any communication and requests.

What do I do if my project is ending soon and I will not be able to complete my scope of work?

Work with your SPS to review the terms of your agreement, sponsor flexibilities that have been provided, and help to coordinate any request.

The Federal government is requiring that we include how and if our project was impacted by COVID-19 in our progress reports, should we do the same with Non-Profit sponsor?

Yes, if your project has been impacted by COVID-19 it is important that you provide details on how it has been impacted in your next progress report. It is also recommended that if you were able to continue your project with little impact (example working remotely) then it can’t hurt to provide details on how you were able to continue.

I charged Paid Administrative Leave to my project and now I do not have enough funding to complete my project, what do I do?

Work with your SPS to review the terms of your agreement, sponsor flexibilities that have been provided, and help to coordinate any request.

Do Non-Profit sponsors have gap or supplemental funding available?

In general, we are not seeing gap or supplement funding from our non-profit sponsors but since our sponsors are unique there could be instances where this type of funding will or is currently available.