Dear Researchers,
IACUC Administration is fully operational; however, we are practicing social distancing by working remotely and our offices are closed to visitors. In light of this, there may be delays in response and turnaround times as we dedicate efforts to addressing animal research issues related to the COVID-19 response – your patience during this challenging time is appreciated. If you have any questions, please contact us at .
Today’s message from the VCR states that UCI researchers must ramp down and curtail research activities – This applies to all non-critical animal research activities both on-campus and at the medical center. Please refer to the VCR’s message for the definition of critical research.
- Animals currently in the vivarium/pending animal orders: If you currently have ongoing experiments and have animals in the vivarium or pending animal orders for those experiments – please continue with those experiments until completion. DO NOT euthanize the animals. After completion of those experiments, then coordinate and plan future experiments with the expectation of ramping down to only critical research. Consult with department, school, and research unit leadership, campus veterinarians, or the IACUC office.
- Labs with investigator-maintained animals: Refer to your lab’s Emergency Plans, and coordinate with your laboratory staff to ensure the continued care of PI-maintained animals. While ULAR operations remain fully functional, PI-maintained animals are still the responsibility of the Principal Investigator and laboratory staff.
- Social distancing while working with Animals: Practicing social distancing while working with animals requires effective communication between all research team members and ULAR staff. Some suggestions include taking turns while working in an animal rooms or laboratories and determining what types of tasks can be performed remotely. Before working alone in labs and procedure rooms please consider the notifying your research teammates about the following:
- Where you’ll be (i.e., provide them with building and room numbers),
- What you’ll be doing (i.e., the procedures you’ll be performing),
- When you plan to start work and when you anticipate finishing,
- How they can reach you in case of an emergency, and
- How you can reach them in case you experience an emergency or other urgent situation while working alone.
For guidance, status updates, and news related to COVID-19 and the university’s research continuity plan – Go to the Research Continuity website. It’s strongly recommended to refer to the website often, given the fluid circumstances.
From: Pramod Khargonekar – Vice Chancellor for Research <>
Sent: Friday, March 13, 2020 6:00 PM
To: ALL UCI Employees (Campus, Medical Center, and College of Health Sciences) <>
Subject: Research Continuity Website in Response to COVID-19 Situation Now Available
Research Continuity Website in Response to COVID-19 Situation Now AvailableDear colleagues, To assist UCI’s research community with keeping informed about evolving circumstances, emerging guidance and information regarding the impact of COVID-19 on UCI’s research enterprise, the Office of Research (OR) has launched a Research Continuity website. This resource is intended to be a location where researchers and their support staff can go to get answers to their questions. Given that circumstances are very fluid at this point, the website and its contents are living documents, and will be updated regularly. Therefore, I strongly encourage you to refer to this website often. I am also writing to inform you that OR has developed Human Research Continuity guidance, which is available on the Research Continuity website. This information includes the status of IRB/HRPP operations, operational priorities, and guidance on COVID-19 screening of research subjects prior to study appointments. It also clarifies that practicing social distancing practices used in lieu of in-person interactions does not require an IRB approved modification prior to implementation. This guidance also includes important general guidance for clinical research. OR is committed to providing the UCI research community with important information and developments regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on UCI research through regular messaging and the Research Continuity website. Please direct any questions regarding OR’s continuity plans to Bruce Morgan, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research Administration at or 949-824-5677. Questions regarding ULAR’s continuity plan should be directed to Claire Lindsell at or 949-824-0569. Sincerely, Pramod Khargonekar, Ph.D. |
From: Pramod Khargonekar – Vice Chancellor for Research <zotmail@uci.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, March 10, 2020 6:00 PM
To: ALL UCI Employees (Campus, Medical Center, and College of Health Sciences) <zotmail@uci.edu>
Subject: SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and Research Continuity
SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and Research ContinuityDear UCI Colleagues: As the recent message from Chancellor Gillman noted, extensive planning and decision making is underway at UCI to deal with the arrival and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the U.S. which causes the COVID-19 disease. I write to you to with information and planning for the continuity of our research activities and operations. As we think about our research activities, we must place the highest priority on the health, wellbeing and safety of the entire community. The Office of Research has plans in place to help ensure the continuity of its services, including those provided by Sponsored Projects Administration, Human Research Protections (IRB), IACUC Administration, and Electronic Research Administration. In addition, ULAR has a robust and comprehensive continuity plan for animal care. Please direct any questions regarding OR’s continuity plans to Bruce Morgan, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research Administration at or 949-824-5677. Questions regarding ULAR’s continuity plan should be directed to Claire Lindsell at or 949-824-0569. While the campus remains open with regular access to research labs and spaces, it’s important for Principal Investigators, Lead Researchers, research leaders, department chairs, deans, center directors, and administrators to take time now to prepare for potential disruptions to normal operations that may arise from COVID-19 impacts. It is anticipated that research space at UCI will remain open, available and accessible to the extent practicable. However, circumstances are evolving rapidly, and hence the importance of creating and/or refining research continuity plans. With regard to research labs, programs and projects, Principal Investigators (PI) and Lead Researchers (LR) are in the best position to create or review and refine continuity plans that are best suited to meet their particular and often unique needs. Now is the time to either create a continuity plan or make adjustments to existing continuity plans to address evolving circumstances. In doing so, please be sure to consult with department, school, and/or research unit leaders. To assist in the creation or refinement of plans, we recommend that the following issues be considered. CONTINUITY GUIDANCEScenarios for Planning
Health, Wellness and Reductions in Available Personnel
Research Activities, Experiments, Data and Results
Operational Considerations
Research Administration and Management
Travel Considerations
NEXT STEPSCreating and refining continuity plans is important. Equally important is ensuring that plans stay up-to-date, which means monitoring UCI announcements regarding developing situations and evolving circumstances, and making further adjustments to plans as appropriate. Therefore we recommend that PIs and LRs closely monitor the UCI COVID-19 website to ensure they are aware of any changes in UCI’s preparedness plans, as well as the general UC website on How UC is responding to the coronavirus (COVID-19). In closing, I would like to thank each and every one of you for ensuring health, wellness and safety of the entire community while pursuing your research. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Sincerely, Pramod Khargonekar, Ph.D. |