Because of the historic weather conditions that have severely affected statewide power availability, we recognize that many of you are unexpectedly without electricity, and this includes research administrators and our own Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) staff as well. This situation is exceptionally stressful, particularly for those who have been without power for a full day or more in dangerously cold weather. It is imperative that we prioritize health, safety, and wellbeing above all else.
Given the persistent issues with power many continue to face, we will be taking advantage of agency policies that allow for late submissions in the face of university closures and significant weather events. We are suspending proposal submissions and routine award and budget requests until the university reopens.
For those of you submitting proposals to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), agency policy automatically extends submission deadlines during a university closure. OSP will provide a cover letter documenting the closure as a part of your submission.
For those submitting to other state or federal agencies (e.g., Department of Energy or National Science Foundation), OSP will help you and your administrative staff request extensions from your program officers per those agencies’ guidelines, which also grant exceptions for university closures and weather emergencies.
I know that it can be stressful navigating an important proposal submission process when a deadline is looming. Please know that all of us, including the entire OSP team, are aware of these issues and will be working closely with state and federal agencies to submit your proposals in accordance with agency extension rules as soon as citywide power is restored and campus reopens. I sincerely thank our research administrator and OSP colleagues who have been working tirelessly in unprecedented weather conditions, and I thank all of you as well for your patience and understanding.
Sincerely,
Alison R. Preston, Ph.D. Interim Vice President for Research
This communication is from Principal Investigators – Official. View this email online.
