COVID-19 Resources for Research and Graduate Education

Quick Links to Resources on this Page

• Penn State Resources
  
  • University
  • Office of the Senior Vice President for Research 
  • Graduate School
  • Penn State Health
• Updates from Federal Funding Agencies
  
  • COGR ^(updated)
  • NSF
  • NIH 
  • USDA NIFA
  • DOE
  • DOD
  • DHHS
  • USAID
• Other COVID-19 Resources

Penn State Resources on COVID-19

University

Coronavirus Information: Updates for the Penn State Community

• Student, employee, and community FAQ
• Contacts and resources for Penn Staters
• Traveler Info

Remote Working ^{(updated 3/23/20)}

• Technical Resources to Support Remote Research
• Provost shares guidance following statewide action, Penn State News ^{(updated 3/23/20)}
• Guidance from EHS (more topics at this link) ^{(updated 4/9/20)}
  • Working on Campus 
  • Cleaning Guidelines - OPP Cleaning Standards in Response to Coronavirus
  • Cleaning Guidelines - Computer and Related Products
• Reducing Research Activities in Penn State Labs by March 24

Remote Learning

• Access to most of your books as e-textbooks on Bookshelf from VitalSource (access is granted to Penn State students who were enrolled in courses as of March 16, 2020 and will be available through May 25, 2020) ^{(updated 3/19/20)}

Remote Teaching

• Penn State Remote Teaching FAQs ^{(updated 4/8/20)}
• Guidance for Instructors, including Graduate Student Instructors/Teaching Assistants

Assessment

• Resources for Assessment ^{(updated 3/31/20)}
• Schreyer Institute, Remote Teaching and Assessment Strategies ^{(updated 3/31/20)}
• Remote Teaching: Adapting Assessments ^{(updated 4/8/20)}
• Alternative Grading ^{(updated 4/8/20)}

Instructional Design and Support

• Ag Sciences Digital Education ^{(updated 4/8/20)}
  • Coronavirus Teaching Support form ^{(updated 4/8/20)}
• Instructional Design Support for Remote Teaching
• Guidance for Getting Started with Canvas
• Build a Course from Scratch in Canvas
• Schreyer Institute Faculty Instructional Consultants ^{(updated 4/8/20)}
• Contingency Planning for Undergraduate Education
• TLT Booking ^{(updated 4/8/20)}
• Zoom: Strategies for Effective Online Teaching ^{(updated 4/8/20)}
  • TLT's overall list of Zoom trainings ^{(updated 4/8/20)}
  • Zoom: Prevent and Manage Meeting Disruptions (aka Zoom-Bombing) ^{(updated 4/8/20)}

Office of the Senior Vice President for Research

COVID-19 Information for Penn State Researchers

• COVID-19 Research @PSU (Research Response, Guidance, and Opportunities) ^{(updated 5/4/20)}

• Gradually Increasing On-Campus Research-Related Activities at Penn State ^{(updated 5/20/20)}
• COVID-19 Impacts to Proposals, Grants and Contracts FAQ ^{(updated 3/20/20)}
• Guidance for charging salaries and stipends to grants and contracts ^{(updated 3/23/20)}
• Decision Tool to determine the appropriateness of charging non-working individuals to sponsored programs ^{(updated 4/28/20)}

• Managing Labs and Staff Checklist
  • Updates on Undergraduates Research Experiences^{(updated 4/20/20)}
  • Technical Resources to Support Remote Research ^{(updated 4/9/20)}
  • Reducing Research Activities in Penn State Labs by March 24 ^{(updated 3/20/20)}
  • COVID-19 Updates on EHS Services (includes guides for research continuity, ramping down labs, and cleaning labs) ^{(updated 3/20/20)}
• Travel
  • Reimbursement for Cancelled Travel (Controller's Office guidance) ^{(updated 3/19/20)}
• Human Research Subjects
  • Effective March 15, 2020: Studies involving face-to-face interaction with participants with no direct drug or device therapeutic benefit are to be postponed until further notice
  • Revised standards for Human Subjects-Related Research Visits during COVID-19 (PDF)
  • Institutional Review Board (IRB) COVID-19 informational page
• Patient Screening
• Animal Research Subjects
• Grants & Contracts
• COVID-19 Research

Graduate School

Penn State has extended the remote-delivery period for all classes through at least the spring semester. Examinations will also be administered remotely. Additionally, spring commencement ceremonies will be postponed while the University explores options for celebrating the achievements of our students. These decisions align with recommendations from the federal government that call for restricting of all gatherings of more than 10 people. Visit this link to read more about these changes. You also can review this FAQ for more information.

COVID-19 Updates for Graduate Students

• FAQs related to COVID-19 ^{(updated 3/20/20)}
• Graduate School Town Hall (questions and answers written out on the page)^{(updated 4/20/20)}

Policy Updates

• Exceptions and Other Adjustments to Graduate Council Academic Policies and Graduate School Administrative Policies In Response to COVID –19 Outbreak
  • Optional Alternative Grading System for all Graduate Students for Spring 2020 (SP20) Courses ^{(updated 4/3/20)}
  • Extensions to Graduate Council Time Limits Due to the COVID-19 Outbreak ^{(updated 4/3/20)}
  • Revised Guidance for Exceptions to In-Person Participation Requirements  for Graduate Benchmark Examination ^{(updated 4/3/20)}

Resources for coping with anxiety and stress

• Mental Health and Coping During COVID-19
• Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
• College of Medicine through the Office of Professional Mental Health

Penn State Health Resources

Important Information about COVID-19

• Temporary changes to hospital visitation guidelines
• Penn State Health OnDemand

Updates from Federal Funding Agencies

Be sure to check the OSVPR updates on COVID-19 for the most up-to-date guidance for Penn State researchers.

• COVID-19 Impacts to Proposals, Grants and Contracts FAQ ^{(updated 3/20/20)}
• Guidance for charging salaries and stipends to grants and contracts ^{(updated 3/23/20)}
• Project Management Guidelines

The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) and the College of Agricultural Sciences research office and grants and contracts are expected to continue operations in the event of a University closure or remote-work scenario.

Federal agencies are providing guidelines and are regularly updating their information. Please see the links below for specific agencies (updated daily).

Council of Government Relations (COGR)

COGR's FAQs and Resources on COVID-19's Impact to Federal Awards ^{(updated 4/22/20)}

• COGR's Federal Agency Guidance Matrix (XLS) ^{(updated 5/27/20)}
• Multi-Association Request to Extend Current Flexibilities of M-20-17 through 9/30^{(updated 5/27/20)}
• FAQ Addendum #2:  Costing and Financial Compliance FAQs (Updated) ^{(updated 5/28/20)}
• FAQ Addendum #3:  Research Ethics and Compliance Human Subjects FAQ (Version 1.0)^{(updated 5/6/20)}
• FAQ Addendum #4:  Contracts and Grants Administration FAQs (Version 1.0)^{(updated 5/13/20)}
• Furlough Programs and Implications for Financial Research Compliance (Updated) ^{(updated 5/13/20)}
• Institutional Resources on Ramping Up and Reopening ^{(updated 5/18/20)}

National Science Foundation (NSF)

NSF Coronavirus Information

Proposal Submission & Award Management

• Impact on Existing Deadline Dates
• NSF Implementation of OMB Memorandum M-20-17, entitled, “Administrative Relief for Recipients and Applicants of Federal Financial Assistance Directly Impacted by the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) due to Loss of Operations" dated March 19, 2020
• NSF Implementation of OMB Memorandum M-20-20 entitled, “Repurposing Existing Federal Financial Assistance Programs and Awards to Support the Emergency Response to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)" dated April 9, 2020 ^{(updated 4/13/20)}
• Flexibilities for Recipients of NSF Grants and Cooperative Agreements - COVID-19 ^{(updated 4/2/20)}
• NSF Guidance for Major Facilities and Contracts Regarding COVID-19
• Interim guidance for travel, merit review panels and NSF-sponsored meetings
• NSF Guidance on the Effects of COVID-19 on Human Subjects Research ^{(updated 4/9/20)}
• NSF Guidance on the Effects of COVID-19 on Vertebrate Animal Research ^{(updated 4/13/20)}

Frequently Asked Questions

• FAQs About the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) for NSF Proposers and Awardees - March 16, 2020
• FAQs About the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) for NSF Panelists - March 16, 2020
• FAQs About the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) for Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites, Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Sites, International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) Sites, and Similar Activities ^{(updated 4/3/20)}
• FAQS About the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) for NSF SBIR and STTR Grantees ^{(updated 4/14/20)}
• FAQS About the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) for NSF Major Facility Cooperative Agreement Recipients^{(updated 4/29/20)}

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

NIH Updates on COVID-19 for Applicants and Recipients of Funding

Proposal Submission & Award Management

• General Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - Proposal Submission and Award Management Related to COVID-19 - NOT-OD-20-083
• Flexibilities Available to Applicants and Recipients of Federal Financial Assistance Affected by COVID-19 - NOT-OD-20-086
  • COVID-19 Flexibilities for Applicants and Recipient FAQs 
  • History of Updates to FAQs^{(updated 5/7/20)}
• Late Application Notices ^{(updated 5/27/20)}

Peer Review

• Coronavirus Update: Guidance for Peer Reviewers ^{(updated 4/20/20)}
• Based on NIH Guidance on Travel and Meetings, in-person NIH peer review meetings are being held in alternate formats. Scientific review officers will be in contact with peer reviewers about these changes.

Human Subjects & Clinical Trials

• Guidance for NIH-funded Clinical Trials and Human Subjects Studies Affected by COVID-19 - NOT-OD-20-087
• OHRP COVID-19 Resources ^{(updated 4/28/20)}
  • OHRP Guidance on COVID-19
  • Live Videocast on Tuesday, April 28 from 1-2pm ET
• Considerations for New and Ongoing Human Subjects Research During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency ^{(updated 4/28/20)}

Food and Drug Administration

• FDA - Flexibilities Available to Applicants and Recipients of Federal Financial Assistance Affected by COVID-19 ^{(updated 3/27/20)}
• FDA Guidance on Conduct of Clinical Trials of Medical Products during COVID-19 Pandemic

Animal Welfare

• COVID-19 Pandemic Contingency Planning for Animal Care and Use Programs ^{(updated 4/3/20)}
• OLAW Webinar: Pandemic Contingency Planning and Its Impact on Animal Care - March 19, 2020 1:00 PM
• Flexibilities for Assured Institutions for Activities of Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUCs) Due to COVID-19 - NOT-OD-20-088

USDA NIFA

NIFA COVID-19 Resources for Partners ^{(updated 3/26/20)}

• NIFA Coronavirus FAQs Relating to Flexibilities for Applicants and Recipients ^{(updated 5/26/20)}
  • NIFA COVID-19 FAQs Webinar ^{(updated 4/20/20)}

• NIFA Deadline Extensions Due to COVID-19 ^{(updated 4/1/20)}
• NIFA Implementation of OMB Memo M-20-17 - “Administrative Relief for Recipients and Applicants of Federal Financial Assistance Directly Impacted by the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) due to Loss of Operations" ^{(updated 5/26/20)}
• Updates for new/prospective competitive award grantees
• NIFA Late Application Consideration
• USDA Rural Development COVID-19 Resource webpage ^{(updated 3/27/20)}

US Department of Energy (DOE)

• Accommodating Interruptions from COVID-19
• DOE Travel Guidance ^{(updated 4/6/20)}
• Flexibilities Available for Recipients of USAMRAA Grants and Cooperative Agreements ^{(updated 4/2/20)}
• Guidance to DOE Contracting Officers (Financial Assistance) ^{(updated 4/2/20)}

US Department of Defense (DOD)

• Flexibilities Available for Recipients of DoD Grants and Cooperative Agreements ^{(updated 4/2/20)}
• DARPA FAQ about COVID-19 for DARPA Performers ^{(updated 3/27/20)}
• FAQs for DoD Research Proposers and Awardees Impacted by COVID-19 ^{(updated 3/27/20)} 
• Flexibilities Available for Recipients of USAMRAA Grants and Cooperative Agreements ^{(updated 4/2/20)}
• USAMRAA's COVID019 FAQs ^{(updated 3/27/20)}
• Implementation of CARES Act for DoD Contracts ^{(updated 4/22/20)}
• Implementation of CARES Act for DoD Contracts - FAQs ^{(updated 4/22/20)}

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

• EPA COVID-19 FAQ ^{(updated 4/2/20)}

US Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS)

• DHHS Memo: COVID-19 Impact on Contractor Performance ^{(updated 3/27/20)}
• FDA Guidance on Conduct of Clinical Trials during COVID-19 ^{(updated 3/27/20)}
• Guidance for CDC Applicants and Recipients of CDC Funding ^{(updated 3/27/20)}
• National Institutes of Health (NIH): Information for Applicants and Recipients ^{(updated 3/27/20)}
• Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) COVID-19 FAQs ^{(updated 4/2/20)}

US Agency for International Development (USAID)

• Flexibilities Available for Recipients of USAID Grants and Cooperative Agreements ^{(updated 4/2/20)}
• ​Information from the Office of Acquisition and Assistance

Other COVID-19 Resources

• Pennsylvania Department of Health - COVID-19 Updates
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• U.S. State Department (Global Travel Advisories)
• U.S. State Department (China Travel Advisory)
• World Health Organization (real-time map)