Memo: Planning for the Phased Resumption of On-campus Lab Research

Two months into the COVID-19 pandemic, we are beginning to look ahead to the eventual resumption of Boston University’s on-campus research. This return to research laboratories will be phased, deliberate, and guided by public health advisories, and will require detailed pre-return planning on the part of everyone involved. Our overarching goal is to protect and support our community, both by minimizing the risk and extent of viral infections and by finding safe and creative ways to reintroduce research previously put on hold.

In that context, we are asking for the research community’s help in staging this recovery effort. Most immediately, we need all principal investigators who manage on-campus labs, facilities, and centers to take the following steps:

1. Carefully review our Recovery Toolkit, which includes details on process, important guidance and templates, and a customizable letter for communicating with your team.
2. Draft a recovery plan and research personnel list using the templates provided in the toolkit.
3. Submit your plan and personnel list for approval by uploading via the appropriate web form, also provided in the toolkit. The web form includes additional questions to inform and prioritize the overall recovery plan.

Our initial deadline for faculty PIs who wish to resume on-campus lab research to submit their plans is Monday, May 11. Plans are required even for those labs that continued operating during the shutdown. The Office of Research will share submitted plans with department chairs, center directors, and Associate Deans for Research and from there develop a plan for resuming research in each unit. This team will continue to review submissions on a rolling basis going forward.

You can expect this recovery process to be considerably slower than the process we took to ramp down research in March. We anticipate we will begin phasing back on-campus research only after the ban on non-essential business has been lifted by the state, and from there we will begin a staged process that may take weeks or months. The guidelines we provide factor in the very real possibility that we may need to ramp down research again at any point.

Furthermore, when we return to campus, our models for research and collaboration will look very different from how they looked in the past. Research that can be conducted remotely should continue remotely, and research meetings should continue to be virtual. For centers, labs, and projects that require on-campus work, you may consider phasing your return, taking into consideration the unique circumstances of individual team members, and adapting what we once considered normal operations to prioritize social distancing, cleanliness, and safety.

We recognize that our researchers operate in a wide variety of contexts and that you may need to use your judgment to customize the guidelines provided. For example, the guidance recommends that laboratories reduce density to one-third of normal operations to allow for social distancing. Yet some of your researchers may already work in isolation, while others may operate in a tight space that requires even stricter practices. Please customize your plan to the best of your ability, and draw upon your professional network, consulting colleagues in your department or who do similar research, mentors, and your own team.

We also acknowledge that because we have opted to begin our preparations now, in anticipation of the ban on non-essential business being lifted, there are still some unanswered questions about public health practices in particular. The University is actively working to develop guidelines about broad issues that will affect the entire BU community, including polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, use of personal protective equipment such as face masks, and policies for community members who are not yet ready to return to campus. The University will share details about broader recovery plans as soon as possible, and you will have the opportunity to update your recovery plan over time. For now, we encourage you to do the best you can and make use of the University contact list under “Questions” in the Recovery Toolkit.

Thank you for your thoughtful attention and coordination as we begin this planning process. We are committed to supporting you through this unprecedented challenge. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

See also: Research Recovery Webinar Recording