By now you likely saw the memos from the chancellor, provost and dean. Please see below some of the important details related to and relevant to CALS Research:

• Animal care is considered essential, so please be assured that the staff in our animal care units (research stations and field labs) have well-developed plans to ensure continuity in animal care.
• The Phytotron will continue to provide basic services (watering, monitoring of chamber temperatures, lighting).
• The university has set the deadline for submitting a requisition to Procurement Services to be processed before the end of the fiscal year as Friday, April 3.  Please plan accordingly. Supply chain disruptions are occurring globally and many of our suppliers are experiencing difficulty obtaining and shipping goods on time.
• The CALS Research Staff are fully equipped to work from anywhere and can maintain all pre- and post-award services.  Most of the office will be working remotely until further notice.  The best way to reach anyone in the CALS Research Office will be by email.  Follow-up phone calls are also easily arranged. The CALS C & G Director will be working on-site.
• University C&G is implementing remote work arrangements beginning tomorrow, March 17, 2020. C&G staff have deployed sufficient technology for remote billing, invoicing, drawdowns, closeouts, approval of PMRs, journals, and redistributions as needed.  Additionally, new awards and continuations, as well as budget loads, no-cost extensions and other attribute changes will be processed remotely.  In all cases, their turn around times may slow a bit, but they have assured us they will continue to be operational.  They will all be actively monitoring email, and encourage that to be the primary form of communication with C&G during this time.  There will be at least one staff member in the office during normal operating hours.  They will be here to assist any visitors and will process incoming mail daily.  This will continue unless they receive a full closure notice.
• That said, all federal agencies are expecting many different kinds of disruptions to research and research-related reporting.  Local disruptions will also occur.  The situation is evolving quickly but please be patient and recognize that things will be slower than usual and some processes may experience interruptions.
• Canceled travel costs can be charged to sponsored projects.  Please make every attempt to obtain travel refunds instead of vouchers. There may be some funding sources that prohibit or limit certain expenses.  In those cases, other funding sources may need to be used. For all funding sources, departments should make reasonable attempts to reduce costs by canceling events on a timely basis.  Any credits should be used for business rather than personal purposes.  Travel on Sponsored Projects,
• If an event/conference/meeting is canceled:  Any credits, rebates, or refunds should go back to the ledger 5.  Faculty should notify their Post-Award Consultant of any credits, rebates or refunds received. Any fees associated with the cancellation of the event or conference can be charged to the ledger 5.
• More guidance related to travel and travel reimbursement is forthcoming. Please hold off on sending any travel authorizations or reimbursements related to disrupted travel until that guidance is issued.
• The Council on Government Relations is posting Covid-19 related information in regards to all funding agencies including NSF and NIH. You can read those here. Information on disrupted travel, late submissions, and related activities are posted on that site.
• Additionally, NSF has issued a FAQ for coronavirus related disruptions here. It addresses issues such as disrupted travel, deadline extensions in case of illness, disruption of research and other pressing questions.
• NIH posted an announcement ‘Flexibilities Available to Applicants and Recipients of Federal Financial Assistance Affected by COVID-19’ at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-20-086.html
• All federal agencies are expecting many different kinds of disruptions to research and research-related reporting.  Local disruptions will also occur.  The situation is evolving quickly but please be patient and recognize that things will be slower than usual and some processes may experience interruptions.

Have questions? Contact Dr. Steve Lommel.