Research Agency News, Updates, and Funding Announcements Related to COVID-19

• Research Noteworthy News from the National Science Foundation
• NSF Agency News
• NIH Agency News
• NSF guidance for PIs seeking COVID related flexibility on their current NSF Grant's June 11, 2020
  • Dear Colleague Letter: IUCRC Program Policy Flexibility in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic Situation

UCR Research and Economic Development (RED)

The RED webpage is COVID-19 Guidance for Researchers and Research Administrators.  The webpage contains guidance, announcements, and funding opportunities received by Research and Economic Development (RED) and is updated as new information is available.

UCOP Research Policy Analysis and Coordination (RPAC)

RPAC, a unit of Research and Innovation, is coordinating with stakeholders across the UC system to develop guidance and share resources to support the UC research administration community in this rapidly changing environment.  The webpage includes Frequently Asked Questions that was developed in collaboration with the ten UC campuses. This is a living document that will evolve and be revised as we hear from sponsors and receive further policy and guidance updates from UC leadership.

Salary Costs and COVID-19 
This guidance provides clarification about the general allowability of salary costs for funding that benefits from sponsor flexibility for COVID-19 impacts and is subject to University policies related to COVID-19 impacts.

NACUBO Coronavirus Resources for Colleges

• https://www.nacubo.org/Topics/Risk-Management-and-Campus-Security/Emergency-Preparedness/Covid-19-at-your-campus

Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Guidance

• M-20-26
• M-20-17
• M-20-11

NSF COVID-19 Webpage 

NSF has established a digital resource for information about the novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). This page is updated frequently and includes links to our latest guidance on upcoming program deadlines as well as budget and logistics questions pertaining to existing awards that may be affected in various ways

Guidance on Human Subjects and Research

• https://insideucr.ucr.edu/announcements/2020/03/13/guidance-human-subjects-and-research

Guidance on Clinical Trial

• FDA Updated Guidance on Clinical Trial Conduct During Covid-19

COVID-19 Funding Opportunities

Department of Defense (DoD)
BRO-20-NEWTON:  This award will be presented to a single investigator or team of up to two investigators that develops a “transformative idea” to resolve challenges, advance frontiers, and set new paradigms in areas of immense potential benefit to DoD and the nation at large. Proposals should aim to produce novel conceptual frameworks or theory-based approaches that present disruptive ways of thinking about fundamental scientific problems that have evaded resolution, propose new, paradigm-shifting scientific directions, and/or address fundamental and important questions that are argued to be undervalued by the scientific community. Approaches can include analytical reasoning, calculations, simulations, and thought experiments. While data collection and production are therefore allowed, all supporting data should be generated without the use of laboratory-based experimentation or instrumentation.

UC Research Grants Program Office 
Emergency COVID-19 Research Seed Funding:  Brief project proposals for a maximum of $25,000 direct costs and 6 months duration will be evaluated based on the potential to (a) generate rigorous, actionable science by qualified teams with essential infrastructure support; (b) yield measurable, short-term outcomes that, when taken to scale, can help blunt the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak; (c) address the needs of vulnerable populations, including those with the co-morbid conditions of HIV infection, COPD or other lung diseases, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or cancer, as well as the medically underserved.

The Predictive Intelligence for Pandemic Prevention initiative is aimed at better understanding the dynamic nature of pathogen and disease emergence, a continuing risk to our national security, health and economic stability. The first phase of the initiative provides support for development grants that identify major challenges involved in predicting and preventing pandemics and how those challenges could be overcome through the creation of multidisciplinary research centers.

Phase one proposals are due on Oct. 1, 2021. A phase two solicitation for research center proposals is expected to be released in 2023.