March 26, 2020
For future updates, please see our COVID-19 page.
Information and guidance for the general public, as well as researchers and scientific societies, has developed and changed quickly as the understanding of COVID-19 deepens. Here is a compilation of resources, federal and agency notices, and other updates that may be of interest to our members.
OMB Notices
These memos from the White House Office of Management and Budget provided a range of administrative relief and flexibility to federally funded researchers and agencies looking at COVID-19.
- Administrative Relief for Recipients and Applicants of Federal Financial Assistance Directly Impacted by the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) M-20-11 (March 9)
- Administrative Relief for Recipients and Applicants of Federal Financial Assistance Directly Impacted by the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) due to Loss of Operations M-20-17 (March 19)
Other Federal Guidance
- The CDC suggested cancellation of all events of 50 or more people for the following 8 weeks (March 15)
- NIH has released a guide to protect workers at risk of contracting COVID-19
Federal Funding Agencies
- National Institutes of Health – collection of links regarding administrative challenges and research on COVID-19
- National Science Foundation – collection of links regarding administrative challenges and research on COVID-19
- Letter to the community from France Córdova, Director
- Institute of Education Sciences – post by Mark Schneider, Director
- For additional institutional and agency responses please see the Council On Governmental Relations website.
Federal Agency Meetings
- The NSF Social Behavioral and Economic Scientific Societies meeting has been postponed to April 22nd (10AM-12PM EDT) and will take place online.
- The 2020 BRAIN Initiative Investigators Meeting is still scheduled for June 1-3, but further information will be provided by April 3rd.
Economic Relief Guides
- US Chamber of Commerce: Coronavirus Emergency Loans: Small Business Guide and Checklist
- US Senate Committee on Small Business and and Entrepreneurship: The Small Business Owner’s Guide to the CARES Act
- US House Committee on Appropriations: The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act Fact Sheet
- House Committee on Ways and Means: Provisions Related to Unemployment Compensation in the Senate-passed CARES Act
Coalition, Society and Community Activity
- American Psychological Association Panel: Using the Psychological Science of Crisis Leadership and Communications to Navigate COVID 19
- Led by the American Sociological Society, roughly 40 scientific societies signed a statement encouraging institutes of higher education to delay procedures for faculty and tenure review, given the extenuating circumstances of this school year with every aspect of life upended.
- The American Society of Association Executives sent Congress a letter to ensure that all 501(c) tax-exempt entities are eligible to receive small business loans.
- The American Society of Microbiology invites you to sign on to thier stakeholder letter to House and Senate appropriators calling for a nonpartisan review of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, once the immediate public health emergency subsides.
- SAGE Journals has created a collection of open access articles including the latest medical research from SAGE related to the virus as well as top social and behavioral research, to help individuals, communities, and leaders make the best decisions on dealing with the outbreak and its consequences.
- The Psychonomic Society: The Behavioral Science Response to COVID-19 Working Group: Recommendations to reduce face touching
Distance Learning Resources
- Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Midwest and Region 9 Comprehensive Center webinar: Shifting classroom practices to a virtual environment
- NCEE Blog: Seeking Your Help in Learning More About What Works in Distance Education: A Rapid Evidence Synthesis
Personal Health
- Yale webinars: Using emotional intelligence to combat COVID-19 anxiety
- The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation: How to Stay Mentally Healthy During the COVID-19 Pandemic
