COVID-19 FAQs

Yes, many funders are continuing to run their schemes as normal although some deadlines may have been changed, so always check the call details carefully on the funders’ own websites. Funders who have suspended their application rounds will have a statement on their website.

Your local research support teams are working remotely (i.e. Department administration and Faculty Research Services), but please give them as much notice as possible of your intention to submit. Priority is being given to COVID-19 rapid response applications

No, the College’s application process remains the same, but Faculty Research Services teams will prioritise rapid response applications. To ensure timely submission, please contact your local research support team (i.e. Department administration and Faculty Research Services) as soon as possible to facilitate a priority submission

No, Faculty Research Services staff can still access InfoEd, Je-S and other funder submission systems from home and will continue to provide institutional approval for all grant applications as normal.

Head of Department approval in InfoEd can still be undertaken remotely by the HoD or their authorised delegate. If there are extenuating circumstances, contact Faculty Research Services as soon as possible to discuss the possibility of accepting a HoD approval via email instead

The COVID-19 Funder Guidance page is updated regularly and has links to statements from our main funders. Always check the funders’ own websites for specific call details and up-to-date information.

Some funders have extended submission deadlines for their schemes. Always check the funders’ own websites and call guidance for details. Ensure your local research support team (i.e. Department administration and Faculty Research Services) is notified of your intention to submit well ahead of any existing or amended deadlines so they can support your application. Priority is being given to COVID-19 rapid response applications.

Funders are making practical decisions based on the latest government advice and will update their websites accordingly. Anyone expecting an interview will be notified of the relevant arrangements or intended delays by the funder directly.

Like Imperial, most funders are now operating remotely which is likely to affect their decision-making process. Since decision panels are unable to meet face-to-face, funding decisions may be delayed or postponed for the time being. Always check individual funder websites for the latest information.

Given the circumstances, Principal Investigators (PIs) should carefully consider whether starting the project now is absolutely necessary or feasible. PIs should contact their local research support team (i.e. Department administration and Faculty Research Services) to discuss whether the project should be delayed, taking account of the funder’s terms and conditions. The main funders have indicated that they will take a pragmatic approach to any delays caused to research projects.

Faculty research services teams are still responsible for formally accepting awards and will work with funders to ensure this can be done, especially in cases where acceptance requires a “wet” signature. Priority will be given to award setups for COVID-19 research funding.

Given the circumstances, Principal Investigators (PIs) should carefully consider whether starting the project now is absolutely necessary or feasible. PIs should contact their local research support team (i.e. Department administration and Faculty Research Services) to discuss whether the project should be delayed, taking account of the funder’s terms and conditions. The main funders have indicated that they will take a pragmatic approach to any delays caused to research projects.

Yes. If a project can be carried out remotely, then work can proceed and the grant set-up by the Faculty Research Services Team. However, if your project has overseas partners, fieldwork involving human contact or requires international travel then Principal Investigators should give serious consideration to whether starting the grant now is necessary or feasible. Establishing contracts with research partners, subcontractors or suppliers may be difficult if their operations are affected by COVID-19 while the Foreign and Commonwealth Office prohibits all non-essential travel.

PIs should discuss project set-up requirements with their Departmental research support team and Faculty Research Services team in the first instance.

Information about remote working is available on the HR website. If the project is able to proceed, the College's ICT service provides plenty of guidance on remote working including repositories for safe research data management and advice on connecting with your research team remotely using College endorsed platforms such as Microsoft Teams. 

Many funders are recommending that researchers delay start dates where possible. UKRI has revised its policy on start date delays, permitting responsive mode and fellowship grants to be delayed for up to six months and an additional clause will be included in grant offer letters for new awardees. Where an offer letter has already been issued under the former policy (up to three months delay) and the grant has not begun, requests to delay the start date for six months can be submitted via Je-S.

Please note, the six month start date delay does not apply to managed mode calls or grants deliving time-critical investments or training, and the previous start date policy continues to apply. If more time is needed for these grants, PIs can submit an extension request via Je-S which will be considered by UKRI on a case-by-case basis.

If you have a contract currently under negotiation you should continue to liaise directly with your Faculty Contracts Team, and Industry Partnerships and Commercialisation team as normal.  They will guide you on any issues with the contract and approaches to funders or partners.   However, please think carefully about the delivery of the project, timelines and any additional costs that may be incurred (eg. increases in salary costs) as a result of any delayed start to work.  Changes may be sought in the contract at this point to help account for or mitigate against the impact of the current COVID-19 outbreak.

Yes, please continue to liaise with Research Services and Faculty Contracts Teams as normal. They will advise on the best course of action and will liaise with the company on the form of contract.  However, please think carefully about the delivery of the project, timelines and any additional costs that may be incurred (eg. increases in salary costs) as a result of any delayed start to work.  Additions can be made to the contract to help account for or mitigate against the impact of the current COVID-19 outbreak going forwards.

In these circumstances, College will still be bound by the terms of the contract, however, each contract should contain mitigation wording to account for unforeseen delays or issues arising that have an impact on a project. This will mainly fall under Force Majeure, but there may be additional terms within a contract that can be invoked. 

If you are unclear on any of the provisions within your contract please contact your Faculty Contracts Team or Faculty Industrial Partnerships and Commercialisation (IPC) Team for further guidance.  We would encourage you to discuss the impact on your project with your funder or collaborators, and further guidance on how to go about this may be sought from your IPC Team.  Some funders are offering no cost extensions, or other means to continue projects; these and other contract specific actions will require amendments which your Faculty Contracts Team will help with. 

In general, the questions and answers outlined on this page are also applicable to EC funded projects. Please visit the Research Office European Commission Covid-19 page for more detailed information regarding applications to Horizon 2020 funding calls, the management of existing grants and all other European Commission funding.

Some elements of the research may be able to start up remotely without requiring a Grant Agreement amendment to change the start date. If your project has started since January 2020 or is due to start in the next 3-4 months, it may be prudent to delay the recruitment of new staff with only a minor impact on cost and the overall project timeline. If project efficiencies cannot be found in order to stay within the original timeline, a No Cost Extension can be requested. Please see further details and EC guidance on the Research Office European Commission Covid-19 page 

Once a Grant Agreement has been signed, the terms can only be changed using a Grant Agreement amendment. The European Commission, one the partner institutions or Imperial can initiate this change. If you think your Grant Agreement needs to be amended as a result of COVID-19 please contact your Research Office EU Team Negotiator.

If your project is able to operate remotely then you can continue with your work and most College functions including Purchasing are still accessible via remote access. Information about remote working is available on the HR website.

We expect funders to take a pragmatic approach to any disruption to research projects and depending on the nature of the study, individual circumstances and the period of disruption and we envisage that:

• Grants may be extended to allow existing budgets to be utilised (a no-cost extensions)
• Extra funding could be requested if there is reasonable justification which funders will consider on a case-by-case basis. Note that some funders have a maximum grant amount which cannot be increased.

Principal Investigators (PIs) should contact their local Department and Faculty research support team to discuss whether proceeding with the research is safe or appropriate and to establish any cost implications. If a funder confirms a grant extension or supplement evidence should be retained on the grant file to support future cost claims.

It is essential that grant holders and their research administration teams retain appropriate evidence of any additional costs incurred, e.g. irrecoverable fees arising from the cancellation of meetings/events; salary costs for staff supporting frontline NHS services.

Given the circumstances, Principal Investigators should carefully consider whether starting the project now is absolutely necessary or feasible unless the study is COVID-19 related.

Contact your local research support team (i.e. Department administration and Faculty Research Services) to discuss the consequences of delaying the start date of a new project so this can be considered in line with funder’s terms and conditions and expectations.

Yes, Faculty Research Services Teams are working remotely and continuing to function as normal. New projects will be set-up if a delay to the start date is not possible but priority is being given to COVID-19 rapid response studies.

We expect our funders to take a pragmatic approach to any disruption to research projects. Depending on the funders’ terms and conditions, specific circumstances and period of disruption, there are several possible options:

• No-cost extension - grants can be extended to allow existing budgets to be utilised
• Costed extension - additional funding can be requested if there is reasonable justification, but funders will consider this on a case-by-case basis.
• Existing timeline and budget - some funders have a fixed project timeline and/or maximum grant amount which cannot be increased. To work within the original parameters, PIs may be required to change the project scope or deliverables and utilise underspends or budget virements.
• Temporary grant suspension – some grants may need to be suspended temporarily (held in abeyance)

Principal Investigators should contact their local research support team (i.e. Department administration and Faculty Research Services) to discuss their individual circumstances and any cost implications so the best course of action can be agreed in line with funders’ terms and conditions. Funder confirmation of extensions, supplementary funding or temporary suspensions should be shared with the local research support team for their records.

If your project is scheduled to end within the next few months, the Principal Investigator (PI) should consider whether all deliverables can be met or not. If work can continue, then any scientific reporting obligations to the funder should be completed as normal. The award will then be closed as usual by your Faculty Research Services team.

If your project has been disrupted by COVID-19 and you are unable to finish on time, then a No Cost Extension may be possible if this is in line with the funders’ terms and conditions. PIs should contact their local research support team (i.e. Department administration and Faculty Research Services) to discuss the best course of action as soon as possible.

During Autumn 2020 some funders (including NIHR) have begun to issue guidance on the approach that should be taken by staff and their departments in considering whether they could return to NHS clinical duties as a result of future peaks in COVID-19 pandemic hospitalisations, if they were approached to do so. Please refer to the relevant funder website for details.

Guidance for Faculty of Medicine clinical staff on issues to be taken into consideration, the process for gaining approval and management of any return to clinical service for a future peak wave of the pandemic is provided on the Faculty of Medicine COVID-19 Information site (Office365 log in required).  Clinical staff in other Faculties may wish to review the guidance, but should note that the registration and administrative processes set out on this page are relevant to Faculty of Medicine staff only – clinical staff in other Faculties should liaise with their line managers and their department managers in the first instance if they are approached to return to the NHS.

The Enterprise Team have prepared a message to Imperial’s business and industry partners appraising them of the latest situation. Principal Investigators should contact their local research support team (i.e. Department administration and Faculty Research Services) to discuss their individual circumstances so the best course of action can be agreed in line with funders’ terms and conditions and expectations.

Principal Investigators (PIs) should contact their local Department and Faculty research support team in this first instance to discuss whether proceeding with the research is safe or appropriate and to establish any cost implications of pausing or suspending their projects.

In very exceptional circumstances, the College considered participation in the Government's Job Retention Scheme where work had been reduced or suspended specifically as a result of the implementation of national restrictions. The Government Job Retention scheme closed in September 2021. 

In July 2020, UKRI announced its intention to distribute funding of up to £180 million for organisations to sustain UKRI-funded research and fellowships affected by the pandemic. In a process agreed with UKRI, the College COVID-19 Research Response Group approved the distribution of the funding in two phases. Up to two thirds of the CoA award budget was allocated to Phase 1 in November 2020 to protect the College’s research talent and maintain diversity in the research population. In Phase 2, Faculties were provided with budgets that best fit their Research Council portfolio and distributed this strategically to Departments in April 2021.

If your project is scheduled to end within the next few months, the Principal Investigator (PI) should consider whether all deliverables can be met or not. If work can continue, then any scientific reporting obligations to the funder should be completed as normal. The award will then be closed as usual by your Faculty Research Services team.

If your project has been disrupted by COVID-19 and you are unable to finish on time, then a No Cost Extension may be possible if this is in line with the funders’ terms and conditions. PIs should contact their local research support team (i.e. Department administration and Faculty Research Services) to discuss the best course of action as soon as possible.

Unless funders have contacted you explicitly then all of end-of-project scientific reporting requirements remain in place and access to systems such as Researchfish are unaffected by remote working and should be used as normal.

If your project has experienced delays as a result of COVID-19 and deliverables have not been met, please liaise with your Departmental support team and Faculty Research Services team to consider possible options (see Existing Grants section above)

Yes - the JRCO are fasting tracking sponsorship review of COVID-19 projects. The HRA will also fast track studies for ethical review. Guidance can be found on the HRA website

The majority of amendments that reduce burden on participants or are designed to move to remote monitoring are now classed as Category C minor amendments. This means they only need to be authorised by the project sponsor and site, but do not need formal ethical approval. The same applies to a temporary halt to the study.

However, if your amendment increases the burden on participants, then this would be a substantial amendment. Suspension of recruitment only is not considered a minor amendment, but you should notify the JRCO as sponsor in all cases. 

Please follow the amendment steps for ICREC/SETREC projects and notify the JRCO coordinator.

Further advice from the MHRA and HRA can be found here:

• HRA - Guidance about COVID-19 for Sponsors, Sites and Researchers
• MHRA - Managing Clinical Trials During COVID-19

The Research Governance and Integrity team also provide a   page. Contact details can be found on the Staff list.

Principal Investigators undertaking any non-clinical research that involves face-to-face contact with other people should consider whether activity such as interviews or fieldwork can be delayed or delivered differently (i.e. through remote contact). All Imperial research should abide by the social distancing advice from the government.

Due to current Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel restrictions all overseas fieldwork should be paused and worldwide non-essential travel, postponed. Fieldwork involving face-to-face contact should not go ahead unless this can be managed remotely.

The expectation is that all those who can, should continue to work remotely. Researchers and research students can continue to access laboratories if they cannot undertake their research from home. Find out more on the College COVID-19 status page. 

All events should be cancelled or rearranged unless they can be offered online and all non-essential travel – including for research – cannot go ahead. 

If you are due to travel on College business and you consider your trip to be essential, please seek approval from your Head opf Department, Dean or Director and confirm the College travel insurance position. The College will not allow work or study related trips which are not covered by the College insurance policy.  The Staff travel insurance page is being updated regularly.

The College’s research data storage facilities are unaffected by remote working and staff can continue to access repositories. Please visit the ICT Research Data Storage website for more information.