Proposal and Grant Guidance Regarding COVID-19
Dear Research and Grants Community,
As you all have seen, COVID-19 is an ongoing and developing world-wide concern. Therefore, we understand that you may have multiple concerns regarding your proposal submissions and ongoing grants. We would like to remind you that we are here to provide the assistance you need to ensure your proposal submissions are submitted by the sponsor deadlines. Additionally, we are able to provide guidance to you or reach out to sponsoring agencies that have not yet given guidance regarding active grants.
Proposals:
We ask that you continue working on meeting the current deadlines set by the sponsors. There have been several sponsors that have extended their proposal deadlines, however, others have not and will not be doing so. At this time, we strongly urge that you work early to ensure deadlines are met. individuals working from home, it is important that you allow sufficient time in the event we run into any unforeseen problems such as: connectivity issues, difficulty signing electronically, availability of individuals, and various other factors that may delay the submission. As previously mentioned, agencies such as NIH are allowing late submissions. Additional details can be found through the following link: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-20-082.html.
As a reminder, this late submission allowability currently only applies to NIH proposals. Other agencies may not be offering extended proposal submission deadlines, therefore, please consult with your assigned Research Services Coordinator or contact our office at sponpro@utrgv.edu.
Existing Awards/Projects:
Similarly, as proposals are being impacted, we understand that ongoing grants/projects are most impacted by this COVID-19 outbreak. Many sponsors have provided additional guidance on active awards. Please feel free to contact the Office of Sponsored Programs with any questions regarding your grant(s). They may reach out to the sponsor directly if you have not yet received any guidance from the sponsor. If you have anticipated events and travel in the near future, those will need to be cancelled or postponed until further notice. Additionally, please make sure you are following the university guidelines and additional guidelines provided by the following:
CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidance-business-response.html
State of Texas: https://dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/
UTRGV: utrgv.edu/coronavirus
NIH has provided examples of Flexibilities Available to Applicants and Recipients that are similar to those of other federal agencies. You can access the Notice through the following link: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-20-086.html. Lastly, we ask that if your projects are impacted, please contact the Office of Sponsored Programs for additional guidance or so they may reach out to the sponsors. For any questions or concerns regarding Private Sponsors, please contact the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations (CFR), at corporatefoundation.relations@utrgv.edu.
Tips and Recommendations:
Our offices have various forms that require Adobe signatures and we want to be sure that you can electronically sign from your off-campus location. Please see the guide to setup your electronic signature. Additionally, we recommend that if you have Student Assistants, schedule them at different times where they are not in direct contact with others, allowing you to continue work on the project. To conclude, hold off on planning or booking any new travel in the next couple of weeks, plan on postponing/cancelling large meetings or workshops if possible, and consider videoconferencing or telework if necessary and if approved by HR and supervisors.
We will provide updates through our Division’s website and links/notifications as we receive additional updates and guidance. We are here to provide the support and guidance through these challenging times and want to make sure you are provided with the necessary resources to continue your projects.
Should you have any questions, please contact the following offices:
Sincerely,
Division of Research, Graduate Studies & New Program Development