Active Grant Awards/Activities
Do the restrictions apply to externally funded projects?
Yes, if you are a PI, Co-PI, or IUP employee working on a grant or
any research activities, the COVID-19 restrictions and requirements may
impact your research activity. You must comply with any state or federal
restrictions, including stay-at-home orders.
The Governor’s Stay-at-Home Order takes precedence over any
previously issued guidance. After the Stay-at-Home Order has been
lifted, but while we are still dealing with COVID-19, if you have any
direct contact with other individuals while performing your grant
activity, you must follow all university, Pennsylvania State System,
state, and federal mandates during this time. This includes students and
graduate assistants.
Per President Driscoll’s email on Tuesday, 3/31/2020, and reiterated
in his email on 4/1/2020, there are to be no face-to-face activities
through summer 2020. This includes grant activities, whether on- or
off-campus. Additionally, only essential personnel are permitted to be
on campus during the quarantine period, and this restriction applies to
faculty offices, labs, and other space.
I’m concerned about my project; how should I approach my funding agency?
We understand that this will likely cause delays and challenges in
completing research projects, and we are here to assist you in
identifying solutions and/or communicating with your funding agency. If
you encounter challenges, please reach out to Ute Lowery (ulowery@iup.edu) or Janis Nichols (jnichols@iup.edu) for assistance. We will also so document this in the project file.
What if my project is an essential activity or warrants an exception?
If your grant-funded research has officially been deemed an essential
activity/work to provide life-sustaining business and government
services in Pennsylvania, please submit documentation to your dean so
that a request for an exception may be considered (though not
guaranteed). Please include Hilliary Creely, Tracy Eisenhower, Ute
Lowery, and Janis Nichols in this communication so we can document any
exception granted and assist you with your project accordingly.
I have a sub-awardee, Professional Service Agreement, or other partnership that is vital to my project. Should I provide them with any information?
Please work with the RI Post-Award team, and keep in contact with the sub-recipients on your projects and keep them apprised of any changes that you are anticipating in your research. Please keep in mind that IUP/IUPRI policies and procedures, as well as the Prime Sponsors CODIV-19 guidance, flow down to the subawards. The IUP Research Institute, in conjunction with the associate dean for Research, can provide a letter that can be sent to your partners should you want to provide them with information about our status.
How are funding sponsors responding to the pandemic?
PIs and research administration staff should feel assured that sponsors of our research have been responsive to the changing conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, NSF,
NIH, and NEH continue
to update their communications and guidance for researchers that allow for flexibility in award management functions and continue to accept applications to programs. PIs should work with the pre-award team at the Research Institute to proactively
consider specific changes to their projects.