Earlier this week, the University received clarification from New York State about research activities during the phased re-start of business activity in the state. Research at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics, other defense and national security related research, research in support of manufacturing, and labs focused on health-related research will be eligible for University-approved reopening as early as Monday, May 18.
While this does not include all research activity at the University, it is great news for university research as a whole. We will continue to advocate for the opening of additional areas of research as soon as possible and as allowed by New York State’s phased re-start.
All approved research activities must abide by strict social-distancing guidelines to limit any possibility of spreading COVID-19 within the research community. Guidelines for researchers in the School of Medicine and Dentistry and Arts, Sciences & Engineering have been distributed. It is expected that these restrictions will remain in place for the foreseeable future and any lifting of restrictions will not likely occur before a vaccine becomes widely available.
Research involving human subjects is also being reactivated in a phased approach. Research on human subjects under clinical care will begin in the near future while all other activity will resume by early June. There are also new guidelines for conducting research with human subjects, which include social distancing and masking, to ensure the safety of study subjects and researchers. It will be vital that we all continue to comply with social-distancing guidelines to protect the health and safety of all members of the University of Rochester research community, as well as the local community, and those who volunteer to participate in research studies here, at the University.
We very much appreciate the cooperation and patience of everyone within our research community and look forward to a healthy and safe re-design and re-boot of research activities in the coming weeks.
Sincerely,
Robert Clark
Provost and Senior Vice President for Research
Stephen Dewhurst
Vice Dean for Research, School of Medicine and Dentistry
John Tarduno
Dean of Research, Arts, Sciences & Engineering
Richard Waugh
Vice Provost for Research