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Where can I find funding opportunities related to COVID-19?
I was approached by a sponsor/foundation wishing to provide me with funds to conduct research relating to COVID-19. What should I do?
Conducting any sponsored activities require multiple offices to review and negotiate the terms of the sponsored award and to assist you in obtaining required institutional approvals (e.g., IRB, IBC, etc.). You should immediately contact your assigned Contract and Grant Officer, who will then provide you information on next steps.
Under which circumstances will NIH provide administrative supplements?
NIH will consider administrative supplements to support existing resources that were diverted due to COVID-19, where the faculty member may have donated personal protective equipment, lab equipment, lab supplies, or travel costs to support COVID-patient care, etc.
NIH guidance states that requesting administrative supplements for additional costs related to COVID-19 exigencies is premature because the full impact of COVID is unknown. Nevertheless, NIH will consider requests for administrative supplements for projects in the following two situations: (1) supplements to existing projects that will allow investigators to immediately address scientific questions of direct relevance to the COVID19 epidemic, and (2) supplements that are needed to address immediate, mission-critical needs over the next 3 months. In determining what is considered “mission-critical” institutions should consider whether the additional funding is required to accomplish the award goals irrespective of the impact of COVID-19.
Please see NIH FAQs for more information.
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Prior Approvals, Allowability of Costs, and Effort on Sponsored Projects
What do I do if I anticipate overspending on my grant?
Please contact your agency program managers as soon as possible, by phone and in writing, to ensure they are fully aware of the challenges and likely costs to your grant for which you will require supplemental funding. If your agency program manager is supportive of a request for supplemental funding, please contact your Contract and Grant Officer for the next steps.
What do I do if I overspend on my grant and the sponsor is unable to provide supplemental funding?
If you overspend on your grant:
- You will have to use your discretionary funds to pay the overage.
- If you run out of discretionary funds, your department will have to pay the remainder.
- If your department runs out of discretionary funds, your division will have to pay the remainder.
I’m a PI working remotely from home during self-isolation. Can my effort still be charged to the grant?
In general, yes, provided you remain engaged in your project. Current sponsor prior approval requirements regarding disengagement and effort reductions remain in effect.
What if I am home sick and can't work on my project? Can my salary still be charged to the grant?
Yes. Pursuant to the university’s indirect cost rate agreement with the federal government, sick leave and other paid absences that are permitted under university policy are claimed on federal awards as part of the normal cost of salaries and wages.
NIH provided guidance that allows institutions affected by COVID-19 to continue providing stipend payments to fellows and trainees who may be unable to work as a result of or related to COVID-19. Please work with your Contract and Grant Officer to notify the assigned NIH grants management official, and provide documentation demonstrating the effect of COVID-19, and how long the institution will be affected.
What if I am home due to childcare or being directed to not come into work and can't work on my project from home? Can my paid administrative leave per UC President Executive Order still be paid for by my grant?
On March 16, 2020, President Napolitano issued an executive order whereby eligible employees would receive a “one-time allotment of up to 128 hours of paid administrative leave,” subject to specific enumerated conditions. OMB issued two memorandums, one on March 19th (M 20-17) and a second on June 18th (M 20-26), providing federal agencies with additional flexibilities for grants, including allowing administrative leave to be charged against federal grants during the current COVID-19 crisis. As such, this paid administrative leave allocated by the UC President is an allowable cost that may be charged to federal grants and contracts consistent with other employee benefits.
NSF, NIH, and DOD confirmed that they will allow UC San Diego to charge this administrative leave to currently active awards as it is consistent with our policy of paying salaries under unexpected or extraordinary circumstances. UC Office of the President noted on March 24th that they expect all federal awarding agencies to adopt policies in providing additional administrative flexibility in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Please note that OMB Memo 20-26 provided additional requirements for the flexibilities afforded by the federal government for the allowability of charging salaries, including exhausting all other funding sources. The consensus of the University of California Contract and Grant Offices is that the aforementioned paid administrative leave is still allowable; however, if an individual has any additional idle time, it should be charged to an unrestricted account. Idle time on research is defined as time that you were unable to work on your research due to disruptions from COVID-19.
Many non-profit and foundation sponsors have issued guidance providing for similar administrative flexibilities as federal agencies.
In the event that a sponsor does not afford such flexibility, these costs should be removed.
For NSF read: https://www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/covid19/covid19_nsfomb2026implementation.pdf
For NIH read: https://grants.nih.gov/policy/natural-disasters/corona-virus/nih-omb-memo.htm
For DOD read:
https://basicresearch.defense.gov/COVID-19/Frequently-Asked-Questions/
One of my team members has told me that, because of child care obligations, he is not able to work the equivalent of a full week, even though he is working at night and other times when possible. What should I do regarding his salary?
You should ask him to estimate, on average, the percent of a regular week that he is able to work. For example, if his estimate is that he is able to complete 80% of his regular week, then at least 20% of his salary should be charged to an unrestricted account.
If faculty are diverted from research to clinical work to care for COVID-19 patients, can I still continue to charge their salary to an NIH grant?
Through September 30, 2020, NIH is allowing an individual’s salary to be charged against a grant if said individual is redeployed to provide clinical care for COVID-19 patients.
Recipients must exhaust other available funding sources to sustain its workforce and implement necessary steps to save overall operational costs (such as rent renegotiations) during this pandemic period in order to preserve federal funds for grant supported activities. Recipients must retain documentation of their efforts to exhaust other funding sources and reduce overall operational costs.
Please contact your Contract and Grant Officer if you need to divert research personnel to care for COVID-19 patients. See NIH FAQs.
If the agency program officer or grants officer is unavailable (or if the agency is closed) due to COVID-19, can grant personnel continue to work and charge salary to the project?
In most cases, grantees should be able to continue work until their period of performance and funding is exhausted. Contact your sponsored project office for further information.
Research studies with a lab component already have gloves available. Who would pay for other supplies (masks, wipes, etc.), if needed?
If personal protective equipment was required to be purchased for a sponsored project as a part of standard best lab practice prior to COVID-19, it can continue to be direct charged to a grant during or after COVID-19 as well.
NIH indicated that if project-purchased personal protective equipment (or other lab supplies) were donated during the pandemic for clinical or first responder use, then the grant may re-purchase personal protective equipment and charge such costs to the grant. Administrative supplements may be available if re-budgeting is inadequate to replace the donated personal protective equipment.
The majority of other federal agencies require agency-prior approval to donate personal protective equipment; thus, any donated personal protective equipment should either be replaced (using non-sponsored fund sources) or the PI should request agency prior/retroactive approval. If approval is received, replacement personal protective equipment can be charged to said award. Please work with your Contract and Grant Officer on such requests.
Please note that the flexibility provided under OMB M 20-20 allowing for the donation of personal protective equipment expired on June 16, 2020.
Additional personal protective equipment may be charged to grants if needed to conform with research re-opening requirements and such costs are being uniformly charged to the benefiting activity. All sponsored projects and all non-sponsored activities with similar needs are required to cover the cost of such items. For example, if an experiment requires two individuals to stand within 6 feet of each other, any personal protective equipment needed to conduct that experiment would be an appropriate charge to the sponsored project during the re-opening phase even if no personal protective equipment for that experiment was considered necessary prior to COVID-19.
Additional personal protective equipment not required to conform with research re-opening requirements (e.g., personal protective equipment acquired for the personal preference of the individuals involved) should not be purchased on sponsored funds.
Supplies needed for cleaning should be covered by a non-grant account.
We have been asked by the UC Office of the President to track all COVID-19-related expenses. Please ensure that you keep careful track of these expenses.
You may find more useful information through the Council on Governmental Relations (COGR) webpage "FAQs Regarding COVID-19's Impact on Federal Awards."
I am a PI/researcher and I am required to work from home as a result of the coronavirus. Would I be able to charge supplies relating to telework (i.e., laptop, printer, office supplies) to my grant?
These types of expenses are considered administrative costs (indirect costs), and generally are not appropriate as a direct cost unless specifically approved by the sponsor. You may wish to talk with your supervisor about your needs in order to be set up to work from home.
If I have a grant, who should I contact if my project activities are impacted by COVID-19?
PIs remain responsible for conducting their research in a safe and secure manner. University leadership is providing resources and assistance to aid PIs as they make decisions regarding their research. Accordingly, if project activities are impacted, PIs should contact their immediate supervisor, unit leadership (chair, dean, ORU director), central offices (particularly OR, IRB, IACUC, IBC, OCV, EH&S, etc.), collaborators or sponsors as they feel appropriate.
Who should I contact if personnel performing research on a federal/ federal flow-through award must return home to a foreign country and work remotely due to COVID-19?
Please contact your Contract and Grant Officer as they will work with you to submit any necessary notice or prior approval request to the sponsor. They will also coordinate any necessary reviews by UCSD’s Export Control Office.
Will a grant sponsor provide an extension to my grant award if the planned activities are disrupted by COVID-19?
Many sponsors allow for one-year, grantee-approved, no-cost extensions at the end of a project’s performance period. If your sponsor does not provide this pre-approval, please contact your unit’s grants administrator to determine how to make a request to the sponsor.
Will a grant sponsor provide flexibility on prior approval requirements for administrative actions as a result of COVID-19 such as carryover of an unobligated balance?
What proactive efforts should I be undertaking for a project impacted by COVID-19 that is funded via a contract (as opposed to a grant) (e.g., industry, non-profit, federal, service, etc.)?
A contract is where the principal purpose of the instrument is to acquire research services for the direct benefit or use of the other party – they are not as flexible as grants.
Please be proactive in your engagement with your scientific counterparts at the sponsor to help them understand whether any/all work can proceed, and to discuss scope or financial impacts. Please involve your Contract and Grant Officer in any conversations with Contract Officers at the sponsors and formal prior approval requests or no cost extensions. If you are unsure if your project is funded by a grant or contract, please contact your Contract and Grant Officer.
Where can I get more information on sponsor-specific policies concerning COVID-19?
Since I'm working remotely during the COVID-19 crisis, using my home wifi, phone and other resources, can the off-campus F&A rate be applied to my research grants?
No, the F&A rate that was approved at the time your grant or contract was awarded will continue to be applied, even if you and your research staff/trainees are working remotely. The reason the on-campus rate will still be applied is that the research operating costs incurred by your sponsored research activity continue to be incurred even when you are off campus – costs including building leases for your office and research space; permanent infrastructure depreciation; and salaries, health insurance and other benefits for your research administration staff, department finance support, and all the other UCSD employees who help you execute and administer your research without being directly billed to your grant/contract.
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Proposal and Report Deadlines Impacted by COVID-19
I am self-isolated, quarantined, and/or at home caring for a sick family member and am unable to submit my grant by the stated deadline. May I request an extension?
Most federal agencies do not grant prior approval for late submissions; however, there are existing policies that address extenuating circumstances. We strongly encourage you to discuss your specific situation with both your agency program officer and your sponsored project contact.
NIH: NIH has announced an updated late policy for the parent institutional training grants which have just a single due date each year. In addition, some NIH ICs have issued late notices for specific funding opportunities, which are posted on the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Information for NIH Applicants and Recipients of NIH Funding website. For all other Funding Opportunity Announcements NIH is taking a very flexible stance for applications submitted within the standard two-week late policy. Applicants should include a cover letter with an explanation for the late submission.
NSF: You may be able to submit a grant proposal after the deadline. Read FAQ #16 “Can I receive an extension to the deadline?” for details. NSF has extended the deadline dates for specific funding opportunities. A listing of these extensions is available on the Foundation’s COVID-19 webpage.
DOD: It is recommended that PIs reach out to the DOD contact for the program as each federal agency has different authorities, and there might not be complete uniformity between agencies, components of agencies, or even between programs. Read: Frequently Asked Questions for DOD Research Proposers and Awardees Impacted by the Novel Coronavirus
DOE: Deadlines for submitting pre-applications, letters of intent, or applications may be extended by no more than fourteen (14) days from the applicable due date. Please contact the Program Manager identified in the FOA or DOE Laboratory Announcement under which the pre-application, letter of intent, or application is being submitted prior to the applicable due date. Read: DOE Memorandum for Applicants and Awardees
Will a grant sponsor provide flexibility on late reports due to COVID-19?
The flexibility for late financial and other reporting submissions provided under OMB M 20-17 has expired. Please reach out to your Contract and Grant Office if you will be unable to submit a report by its deadline.
Can preliminary data be submitted as post-submission material for an NIH application?
We understand that the emergency declaration related to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) will adversely affect the ability of many applicants to generate preliminary data in time for their grant applications. Beginning with due dates on/after May 25, 2020 and until further notice, NIH has issued an exception to our standard policy on post-submission materials and will accept preliminary data as post-submission materials for applications submitted under all activity codes with the following reminders/caveats (NOT-OD-20-123).
- Preliminary data must be submitted 30 days before the study section meeting
- AOR concurrence required
- One page of preliminary data will be accepted for single component applications or for each component of a multi-component application
- Funding opportunity must allow preliminary data (i.e. does not explicitly indicate preliminary data is not allowed)
- Post-submission materials will not be accepted for applications for emergency competitive revisions and urgent competitive revisions which undergo expedited review
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Unfunded Agreements for COVID-19-related Research
I would like to receive and/or send materials relating to COVID-19 research from or to another organization/collaborator. What should I do?
Please follow the standard eMTA request process which can be found here. Make sure your eMTA request indicates that the transfer is to support COVID-19 related research and contains all relevant information (see pts I & II below).
- When receiving material: The organization/collaborator providing material to UC San Diego would normally provide the Material Transfer Agreement (MTA). Please be sure to upload that document to the eMTA request. If the provider did not issue an MTA, please note that in the eMTA request.
- When sending materials: You will need to include additional documents based on the nature of the material you intend to transfer. For bio-materials collected from human donors (i.e, plasma, tissue, sputum, etc.) please include IRB approval notices and related consent documents. UC San Diego will draft the MTA terms and provide it to the organization/collaborator receiving the material.
Contact the MTA Help Desk (mtahelpdesk@ucsd.edu or (858) 246-3682 *please leave a voice message as this VM box is being monitored) to let them know this COVID-19 related transfer is complete and ready for review. Please indicate “COVID-19 related transfer” in the email subject line. If the eMTA request is completed with all relevant information, the MTA Triage Analyst will initiate the steps towards assignment to the appropriate MTA team member.
The OCGA MTA team is doing what they can to help expedite these COVID-19 related transfers, however, providing incorrect or incomplete information may cause delays. If you have any questions or need further guidance, please contact the MTA Help Desk by email: mtahelpdesk@ucsd.edu or by phone: (858) 246-3682.
I would like to enter into an unfunded agreement (e.g., nondisclosure agreement) relating to COVID-19. What should I do?