Read Medical School Research News online: View as Webpage
April 22, 2020
The Medical School Office of Research has shifted from the monthly publication of “Research News” to a weekly edition. Please bookmark the important links below and consider setting up email alerts to stay abreast of the latest information not only from our organization, but from UMOR.

Events around us are continuously evolving, and our team is committed to keeping you informed and supporting our research community to the utmost of our ability.
News Affecting Your Research Operation
Research Ramp-Up - When Will We Return to the Labs?
Dear Colleagues,

We are all anxious to get the laboratories opened; however, we don’t have a clear idea of when that will be yet. U-M is working closely with the Governor’s office, and our actions are dependent on the shelter-in-place order and other statewide requirements that may be issued related to a return to work. I am working with the U-M Vice President for Research, Dr. Cunningham, and research deans from the other schools and colleges on developing a research ramp-up framework. Every indication is that the ramp-up of research will be a phased return to the labs with social distancing, density considerations, and other safety measures put into place, so the research enterprise is likely to look and feel different for some time upon our return.

Like you, I am eager to get back into my lab. I promise to keep you apprised as planning continues to progress. Keep in mind that the safety and well-being of our research community continues to be our top priority, so that will be at the forefront of any planning for our return to operations.

Be well and stay safe,
Steve

Steven L. Kunkel, Ph.D.
Executive Vice Dean for Research, Medical School
Chief Scientific Officer, Michigan Medicine
Peter A. Ward Distinguished University Professor
Endowed Professor of Pathology Research
Research Spending Amid COVID-related Financial Challenges
In response to President's Schlissel's message earlier this week regarding the university's financial challenges in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, UMOR has posted a number of new FAQs that address questions around funding from external sponsors, internal funding, cost shares, pilot funds, and more.

As leadership and our research community continue to understand the ramifications of the President's directive on research, updates will continue to be shared by UMOR and the Medical School Office of Research.

Questions? Contact umor.news@umich.edu.
NIH Issues Automatic 12-Month Extension to Active Non-NIH Certificates of Confidentiality
Research studies that are funded by the NIH are automatically deemed issued a Certificate under the NIH Policy on Certificates of Confidentiality (CoC). The CoC automatically extends as long as the NIH funding continues, including any no-cost extensions. Under normal circumstances, institutions with CoCs for non-NIH funded studies are required to apply for a new CoC upon the expiration of the current one in order to extend the CoC protection past the stated expiration date.

To decrease the burden for the research community during the public health emergency for COVID-19, NIH is automatically extending the expiration dates for NIH issued CoCs that were current (i.e., not expired) as of April 15, 2020. NIH therefore deems all CoCs current (i.e., not expired) on April 15, 2020 for non-NIH funded studies to have a 12-month extension of their expiration date.

Questions? Contact irbmed@umich.edu.
Data Office Resources for COVID-19 Research
The Data Office is committed to continuing to facilitate your research despite the challenging climate. With DataDirect having a starting population of COVID-19 positive patients in its database, researchers can now access data through the self-serve tool or get a custom data extract from one of the team's experienced data analysts after appropriate IRB approval. The Data Office can help with:

  • Feasibility: DataDirect starting population of COVID-19 positive patients.
  • Data Access: Self-serve (DataDirect) or custom data extract with appropriate IRB approval.
  • Consultation: E-Mail the Data Office for an in-depth consultation here (link is external).
  • Biospecimens: Search DataDirect for available serum and plasma on COVID-19-positive patients.

With the self-serve tool, DataDirect, researchers can find answers to questions such as:
  • How many COVID-19-positive patients have been seen at Michigan Medicine?
  • What is the demographic, insurance, gender, and age breakdown of COVID-19 patients at Michigan Medicine?
  • Of patients with COVID-19, what was the average length of stay, ICU utilization, ventilator usage, vitals, labs, other comorbid conditions?

Questions? CLICK HERE to email the Data Office.
COVID-19 Publications & Data Available Using Dimensions
Dimensions, a research publication database from Digital Science, offers a Google Sheet containing all COVID-19-related research information available to the company. It provides an up-to-date list of COVID-19 research publications, grants, data sets, and clinical trials around the world in a single resource, without requiring any special access permissions or complex queries.

The sheet contains a tab for each type of output, and can be accessed anywhere by anyone with the link. It will continue to be updated daily for the foreseeable future.

Questions? Contact Caleb Smith at calebs@umich.edu.
Access COVID-19 Patient Data from Across the Country
The Network-Based Research Unit (NBRU) at the Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research (MICHR), working together with several regional and national research networks, has pivoted to work collaboratively on the Coronavirus pandemic by making COVID-19 patient data available to researchers.

Researchers interested in accessing local or national aggregated patient data, searching for current COVID-19 trials, or initiating their own studies, should contact the NBRU by emailing um-michr@umich.edu.
Help Inform Racial Disparities Task Force
David J. Brown, M.D., associate vice president and associate dean for health equity and inclusion, has been named to the Michigan Coronavirus Task Force on Racial Disparities.

For Dr. Brown to best represent Michigan Medicine on the task force, please CLICK HERE to complete a Qualtrics survey and share pertinent research and viewpoints on this important subject.
Student Assistance with COVID-19 & Other Research
Some faculty have reached out and expressed an interest in having medical students work with them on COVID‐19 research projects. Many students also have indicated an interest in participating in research projects around COVID‐19, but are open to any research projects that require assistance.

If faculty are interested in bringing students in to assist with your research, please complete this form to provide a better understanding of your project’s scope. Student Council has developed a process to match interested students with faculty and their projects, in collaboration with Professor of Surgery Michael J. Englesbe, M.D.

Questions? Please contact Dr. Englesbe at englesbe@umich.edu.
Funding Opportunities
Fast Grants for COVID-19 Research
Foundation Relations has forwarded information about "Fast Grants" for COVID-19 research. These grants are $10k-$500k, and award decisions are made in under 48 hours. The principal investigator must already be working on a project that could help with the COVID-19 pandemic within the next six months.

Questions? Contact Joe Piffaretti at piffaret@umich.edu.
Funding Resources for COVID-19 Projects
These web-based funding resources help researchers pursue funding related to COVID-19:


In addition to these websites, below you'll find this week's roundup of funding opportunities.
Rolling
Pew Biomedical Scholars Program -DEADLINE EXTENDED-
April 27, 2020
MICHR Pathways Award -DEADLINE EXTENDED-
April 27, 2020
April 27, 2020
April 30, 2020
May 1, 2020
May 4, 2020
May 4, 2020
May 7, 2020
May 7, 2020
May 11, 2020
May 18, 2020
May 20, 2020
May 21, 2020
May 22, 2020
Frankel Innovation Initiative -DEADLINE EXTENDED-
June 1, 2020
June 15, 2020
June 26, 2020
Virtual Events
9:00AM-10:30AM, Tuesday, April 28
CLICK HERE for login and more details.
Looking for additional information about changes to training & events? Visit...
To better navigate the complexities of the U-M biomedical research enterprise, visit the Research Project Lifecycle . This interactive tool provides an overview of the resources available to you, not only within the Medical School Office of Research but also across the University. The "stops" along this lifecycle are highlighted above, and more information is available online .