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.

The financial challenges U-M faces under COVID-19 highlight the importance of continually monitoring the financial health of your sponsored research. UMOR has posted FAQ guidance to especially monitor Industry-Sponsored projects as it relates to progress to date and remaining project work. But, these concepts are equally applicable to all awards.

The Grant Services & Analysis team is asking all faculty, with support from their departments and research administrators, to actively monitor the expense and revenue on each award, and watch for any outstanding invoices that are with the sponsor. Key factors to consider when evaluating the financial health of a project, and the risks associated in fulfilling the aims and scope of a project include:

Projects with expenses that significantly exceed the amount of revenue received, have delinquent payments, or have outstanding invoices, all pose a higher risk for uncompensated work.

CLICK HERE for further guidance - this webpage will be updated with links to resources and institutional reports to help with evaluation as they arise. Questions? Contact [email protected].

Researchers who are working on studies to understand and combat COVID-19 can gain access to potential study participants who self-identify as having the virus or having been diagnosed and recovered, by posting their studies on UMHealthResearch (UMHR).

Volunteers have already registered on UMHealthResearch.org and indicated “Coronavirus infection 2019 (COVID-19),” as a past or present medical condition. The MICHR Participant Recruitment Team is working on the launch of a robust social media campaign targeting individuals who currently have, or whom have recovered from, the diagnosis. These ads will run in areas heavily impacted by COVID-19 and drive interested participants to UMHR to raise awareness about studies they may qualify to participate in.

Funding opportunities are available to researchers to leverage U-M’s high performance computing cluster and cloud computing. Learn how the Research Computing Package (RCP) can help you better manage data through the campus computing cluster. And, find out more about funding opportunities for COVID-19 researchers from AWS, Google Cloud, and more.

Not familiar with high-performance computing? With RCP your team can also receive help getting acquainted with the right resources and tools for your analysis. Contact  [email protected] with questions or for more information about how RCP and the campus computing cluster can accelerate your research.

U-M’s AAALAC 2020 Site Visit was originally scheduled to occur in either May, June, or July. Unfortunately, the disruption caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic has also affected the timing of the Site Visit. The university is now planning for the AAALAC Site Visit to occur in either July or August 2020.

Members of the U-M animal care and use community are encouraged to CLICK HERE to download the AAALAC 2020 Site Visit Plan to Stay Engaged & Stay Prepared resource.

Additionally, the Animal Care & Use Program will also be hosting short 30-minute virtual chats to answer questions and provide a quick overview of various topics of interest to the U-M research community. CLICK HERE to suggest topics and questions for those chats.

Although working remotely during the pandemic, Regulatory Affairs is still available to researchers and project teams. Some of the things the Regulatory Affairs team has been doing while we’re physically apart include:

Connect with Regulatory Affairs via Zoom, Skype, Facetime, BlueJeans, and as always via e-mail at [email protected]. They're standing by to help.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, some faculty, staff, and learners may be struggling with feelings of isolation, anxiety, or depression. A number of support services are available to our community through the COVID-19 Stress Resource Team, including in-person support in the health system and virtual support to individuals and groups.

Now, the Michigan Medicine Wellness Office and Office of Faculty Development are giving members of our medical community access to a free text support service at their fingertips any time, day or night. They have partnered with the Crisis Text Line to provide access to free, 24/7 support during this stressful time via text.

By texting “UMICH” to 741741, participants will connect to a trained crisis volunteer, who will introduce themselves, reflect on what you’ve typed, and invite you to share at your own pace. Text responders are there for support, and to help you sort through your feelings by asking questions, empathizing, and actively listening. You need not be in crisis to use this service for support.

Questions? Call the Office of Counseling and Workplace Resilience 24/7 at (734) 763-5409 or email  [email protected].

In addition to these websites, below you'll find this week's roundup of funding opportunities.

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 .