COVID-19 Resources & Guidance

Guidance for the Research Community​
Page last updated 6/2/21 at 10:30 a.m.

Reopening Research & Libraries

Please send questions to reopening@research.umass.edu.

Further Guidance and Resources

Topic Guidance
Personnel
  • Social distancing is no longer required for RLOP participants that are fully vaccinated. Individuals not yet fully vaccinated are required to continue to wear face coverings and social distance from others. Please keep the RLOP participant lists updated using the RLOP Personnel Change Request Form, since this will be used for testing compliance. More information on transitioning from RLOPs to alternative registration methods will be provided as soon as they are developed.
  • RLOP faculty leads and faculty backup leads who are not regularly coming to campus can be exempted from COVID-19 testing by emailing reopening@research.umass.edu.
Research Spaces, Cleaning & Safety
Centralized Core Facilities
IRB (Research with Human Subjects)

  • Research involving human subjects can resume in accordance with the campus update. Vaccination information can be added to IRB protocols, if necessary, with HRPO/IRB approval. It is recommended that human subjects researchers include information on COVID-19 testing and vaccination availability on campus in their recruitment materials.

    EH&S can provide guidance to researchers working with specific human populations who may not be fully vaccinated; the IRB may recommend an ancillary review by EH&S for specific protocols when circumstances warrant, if such input hasn’t already been secured.

  • For questions regarding IRB protocols, email humansubjects@ora.umass.edu; for questions regarding human subject research and covid-19, please email reopening@research.umass.edu.
Travel Guidance
  • Please follow the UMass Amherst travel recommendations. All domestic and international travel must be registered and approved using the UMass Travel Registry. We recommend delaying travel until you are fully vaccinated.
Sponsored Projects: Federal Agency Guidance

Guidance about UMass Amherst research activities are updated when new information becomes available. See the UMass Amherst Response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) for the status of all UMass Amherst operations.

Please send questions to reopening@research.umass.edu.