What guidance is available from federal agencies and sponsors regarding the impact of COVID-19 on research?

What guidance is available from federal agencies and sponsors regarding the impact of COVID-19 on research?

Various federal agencies have issued information updates for researchers on practical matters like late applications, salary, stipends, clinical trials, travel, and conference grants, as they relate to closures and cancellations in response to COVID-19.  We will continue to update this listing as more information is released.

Can I still conduct travel for my sponsored research project? Will I be reimbursed for cancelled travel?

Impacts from COVID-19 on sponsored project related travel will vary. Federal guidance on these matters is still developing, and we are providing the most current information available. The National Science Foundation (NSF) guidance and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) guidance have both been issued in the form of FAQs specifically addressing the COVID-19 outbreak, and how to address grant related travel interruptions or cancellations. Speaking broadly, if travel or conference hosting plans have not yet been made, we recommend temporarily postponing these events to a future date once the COVID-19 crisis has passed. If travel was a requirement of the sponsored project, your program manager should be alerted to the delay and their guidance sought in coordination with the Office of Sponsored Programs.

For the updated information on all University travel, see the University’s Coronavirus Travel Guidance page.

My post-doc and graduate student employees are not able to remain on campus. Can I still pay them for working remotely on a grant-funded project?

Yes, first and foremost, the faculty, staff and post-docs are Syracuse University employees and students engaged in sponsored projects are Syracuse University research assistants. As long as these individuals are paid in accordance with University Policy, and the employees have discussed their employment arrangements with their supervisor (and have registered their flexible work arrangement with Human Resources here), then charging their effort to a sponsored funding source is allowable. The federal guidance relies on the University to follow its own established policies and procedures, applying them uniformly regardless of funding source.  As the University workforce transitions to working remotely, supervisors should work with their employees to accommodate their needs as best they can so that they can continue to work in a virtual environment.