Research and Creative Activity Restart Update
June 16, 2021
Dear Ohio University Colleagues,
I am writing to notify you of changes in requirements for COVID-19 safety in relation to research and creative activity.
- for non-human subject research, the requirement established May 25, 2020 to complete the Research & Creative Activity Restart approval process in order to conduct research and creative activity in person on campus is rescinded effective today. You do not have to fill out any more forms. Note that all personnel on campus are expected to abide by the updated public health measures circulated to the university community today - please read and be familiar with that information. There are no additional requirements for pandemic safety specific to research and creative activity.
- for human subject research involving in-person interaction, guidance on COVID-19 safety is provided by the Institutional Review Boards and has been governed by a parallel Restart Process with safety plans approved by the IRB. We are in the process of consulting with the IRBs to address whether a revision in this process is appropriate at this time, and will share any updated guidance on this matter as it becomes available. At the current time the existing process remains in effect.
- for Field Research, and by extension research & creative activity-related travel, COVID-19 safety requirements have involved submission and approval of a Field Research Restart Form. University leadership is in the process of revisiting the process for travel approvals, and you can expect to see an update soon. At the current time the existing process remains in effect.
As has been the case throughout the pandemic, please recognize that this guidance is subject to change in the future if infection rates increase or public health risks otherwise reverse course and become more concerning.
For those who have gone to great lengths to adapt your research and creative activities to conform with public health direction over the past year, I wish to express my profound thanks for your cooperation, which may have saved lives in this perilous time. We can increasingly look forward to an era when these strictures are no longer an impediment to working with our students and colleagues, in our quest to advance knowledge and culture.
Joe Shields
Vice President for Research and Creative Activity
Dean of the Graduate College