COVID-19 Sponsor Guidance – updated 3/30/20

General Federal Guidance

Association of American Universities (AAU)

• AAU COVID-19 Resources (AAU login required) (March 18)
• AAU COVID-19 Updates (continually updated)

Council on Governmental Relations (COGR)

• Frequently Asked Questions Regarding COVID-19’s Impact on Federal Awards (V. 2.0) (March 20)
• Multi Association Request to OMB on Expansion of M-20-11 for Administrative Relief (March 18)
• Institutional and Agency Responses to COVID-19 and Additional Resources (March 18)
• COGR’s FAQs and Resources on COVID-19’s Impact to Federal Awards (March 16)

Lewis-Burke Associates

• Lewis-Burke Associates Resources (VUnetID required)

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

• March Grants Innovation Exchange Session (COVID-19) – March 26 at 12 p.m. ET (Sold Out)
• ENCORE: March Grants Innovation Exchange Session (COVID-19) – March 31 at 3:00 p.m. ET 
  • Innovation Exchange Session Schedule–Sessions are on the 4th Thursday of the month from 12:00 to 12:45 pm. Sessions will be tentatively held on:April 23, 2020May 28, 2020June 25, 2020
• 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 (March 19)
• M-20-11:  Administrative Relief for Recipients and Applicants of Federal Financial Assistance Directly Impacted by the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) (March 9)

Federal Sponsor Guidance

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about COVID-19 (Coronavirus) for DARPA Performers (March 19)

Department of Defense (DOD)

• Guidance on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) No Cost Extensions (NCEs) (March 26)
• Frequently Asked Questions for DOD Research Proposers and Awardees Impacted by the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) (March 24)
• Animal Care and Use Review Office (ACURO) Guidance During the COVID-19 Pandemic (March 19)

Department of Energy (DOE)

• Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE): Proposal Extension: DE-FOA-0002197: FY20 Advanced Vehicle Technologies Research Funding Opportunity Announcement (March 27)
• Accommodating Interruptions from Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) (March 13)
• Department of Energy Letter Addressing Coronavirus (COVID-19) (March 12)
• Coronavirus Hub (continually updated)
• Department of Energy Travel Guidance

Department of Justice (DOJ)

• Guidance provided on Twitter
• Guidance to Award Recipients Impacted by COVID-19: Short Term Relief for Various Administrative, Financial Management, and Audit Requirements (March 21)

Department of State (DOS)

• Temporary Pause of International Exchange Programs Due to COVID-19 (March 12)

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

• FDA Guidance on Conduct of Clinical Trials of Medical Products during COVID-19 Pandemic (March 2020)

National Air and Space Administration (NASA)

• COVID-19 Impact to NASA SBIR/STTR Program (March 16)
• Coronavirus Information (continually updated)
• Assistant Administrator for Procurement Message on Coronavirus (March 10)

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)

• National Endowment for the Arts FAQs and Information for Applicants and Grantees in response to COVID-19 (March 19)

National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)

• FAQs – Funding for NEH Applicants and Grantees Impacted by the Coronavirus (March 30)
• NEH Press Release:  Information on NEH and COVID-19 (March 13)

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

• Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) regarding the Availability of Administrative Supplements and Urgent Competitive Revisions for Research on the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (March 19)

National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)

• NIFA Deadline Extensions due to COVID-19 (March 18)

National Institute of General Medical Science (NIGMS)

• Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) regarding the Availability of Urgent Competitive Revisions for Research on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the Causative Virus SARS-CoV-2 (March 25)

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

• UPDATE: NIH Late Application Policy Due to Public Health Emergency for United States for 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) (March 26)
• NIH Shifts Non-mission-critical Laboratory Operations to Minimal Maintenance Phase (March 20)
• Guidance for NIH-Funded Clinical Trials and Human Subjects Studies Affected by COVID-19 (March 17)
• Flexibilities Available to Applicants and Recipients of Federal Financial Assistance Affected by COVID-19 (March 17)
• NIH webpage for NIH Applicants and Recipients (March 17)
• NIH Message to Applicants and Recipients of NIH Funds on Flexibilities Needed for COVID-19 (March 17)
• Flexibilities Available to Applicants and Recipients of Federal Financial Assistance Affected by COVID-19 (March 12)
• NIH Late Application Policy, Administrative Flexibilities, and FAQs Related to 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) (March 11)
• General Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – Proposal Submission and Award Management Related to COVID-19 (March 10)
• NIH LATE APPLICATION POLICY Due to Public Health Emergency for United States for 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) (March 9)
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) COVID-19 Flexibilities for Applicants and Recipients (February 24)

National Science Foundation (NSF)

• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) for National Science Foundation (NSF) Proposers and Awardees (March 26)
• NSF Letter to Community Regarding COVID-19 (March 23)
• NSF Implementation of OMB Memorandum M-20-17 (March 23)
• NSF Coronavirus Information (continually updated)
• Impact on Existing Deadline Dates (March 19)
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) for National Science Foundation (NSF) Panelists (March 17)
• NSF Guidance for Major Facilities and Contracts Regarding COVID-19 (March 9)
• NSF information concerning coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (March 5)
• Dear Colleague Letter on the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) (March 4)

Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW)

• Pandemic Contingency Planning and Its Impact on Animal Care (March 19)
• Flexibilities for Assured Institutions for Activities of IACUCs due to COVID-19 (March 17)
• OLAW Guidance in Preparing for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Outbreak (March 11)

United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

• COVID-19 Guidance for Implementing Partners (March 19)

United States Air Force Academy (USAFA)

• Memorandum for USAFA Contractor Force (March 17)

United States Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA)

• USAMRAA COVID-19 Resources (continually updated)
• USAMRAA’s Supplemental Guidance on Administrative Flexibilities for Grants and Cooperative Agreements in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic (March 25)

Non-Federal Sponsor Guidance

Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research (March 17)

• The Rally Foundation has extended the submission deadline for the Career Development Award until Tuesday, April 14, 2020, at 4:30 p.m. EST. Additionally, given that staff are working remotely, e-signatures will be allowed on the signature pages.

Arnold Ventures

• An Update from Arnold Ventures to Our Grantees (March 17)

John Templeton Foundation

• A Message to Our Grantees and Applicants on COVID-19 (March 19)

MacArthur Foundation

• MacArthur Foundation Dear Partner Letter (March 16)

RRF Foundation for Aging

• Dear Grantee Partners Letter:  We’re Here For You During this Challenging Time (March 17)

Who to Contact at Vanderbilt University for More Information

Some sponsor guidance concerns proposals, contracts and subcontracts, and non-financial award set-up.  Sponsored Programs Administration (SPA), an office within the Office of the Vice Provost for Research, continues to provide all of its usual pre-award support including proposal submission to external sponsors, contract negotiation, non-financial award set-up, and end-user support for the VU Coeus and PEER electronic research administration (ERA) systems, among others.  For information about proposals, contracts and subcontracts, and non-financial award set-up, contact SPA through the SPA staff directory.

Some sponsor guidance concerns award finances.  As a reminder, post-award financial administration is managed through the Office of Contract and Grant Accounting (OCGA), which is not part of Sponsored Programs Administration (SPA) or the Office of the Vice Provost for Research.  For information about post-award financial administration, contact OCGA through the OCGA staff directory.