Ramping up research

From an email circulated today: 

To the Campus Community:

I am excited to announce that UCLA will begin a gradual resumption of research activities on June 8, when we begin phase 2 of our ramp-up plan (PDF).

A tremendous amount of work and coordination have gone into planning for the gradual, thoughtful increase of research activities, and more work will be required by investigators, department chairs, deans and others to prepare our buildings and shared research spaces for the overall campus personnel density of 10% to 25% that we will maintain in phase 2.

I expect that many of you are eager to return to campus, while others may feel concern. As we slowly allow more people to return to campus and resume some field research activities, I cannot emphasize the following points strongly enough:

1. The health and safety of the entire Bruin community is our number one concern. No one who has an elevated risk for severe COVID-19, per CDC guidance, will be compelled to work on campus or in the field if they have an approved accommodation from Employee Disability Management Services. Where possible, flexible accommodations should be considered for team members who do not feel safe returning, or who cannot yet return, to campus or field activities.

2. Those who obtain approval from their chair and dean to implement their operational plans for restarting research activities must consult and communicate the details of their plan with all team members who are named in the document. It is essential that each person understands the conditions under which the research will take place, including appropriate physical distancing, hours of operation and what work is permitted.

3. Our standards for safety and safe work practices must be rigorously and equitably maintained. All personnel must have sufficient access to personal protective equipment (PPE) specific to routine research hazards, and must adhere to protocols to reduce the spread of COVID-19 (for example, the use of cloth face coverings). If researchers do not have the required PPE or supplies, their research activities may be halted until the required supplies are obtained.

I encourage you to bookmark the UCLA Research Ramp-up website, which provides consolidated information about the phased resumption of on-campus research and field work, including:

• Guidelines for UCLA Research Ramp-up (PDF)
• Online DocuSign application (DOCX) for resuming research
• Research operational plan instructions for faculty, chairs and deans

Chairs and deans are responsible for evaluating and approving all operational plans proposing resumption of research for faculty, students and staff within their buildings.

It is critical that investigators submitting operational plans closely follow all of the submission guidelines and the steps in the DocuSign submission process (DOCX). For example, all investigators are asked to download the complete PDF of their submitted plan in the event that their chair or dean requires that the initial submission be revised prior to approval. Also, upon notification that the review of an operational plan is complete, each submitter must closely review the final page of their application to confirm whether it has been approved and if additional conditions are required.

Staff in UCLA Facilities Management and Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) are preparing guidelines to help you evaluate your space to ensure appropriate physical distancing and acquire supplies for research operations. Contact Nurit Katz, operations section chief for the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), at nkatz@facnet.ucla.edu regarding signage and guidelines to aid in effective physical distancing. Contact Alyssa Leiva at aleiva@ehs.ucla.edu to purchase PPE via recharge through the EH&S Central Store. The EOC will continue to distribute face coverings for approved research personnel upon request.

Disinfecting supplies for departments (PDF) can be ordered via a Facilities Service Request — be sure to include “COVID” in the FAU project description for campus tracking. Pricing for individual items can be found on the COVID-19 kit price list (PDF). For more information, visit the Facilities Management COVID-19 page.

If you have an urgent building-related issue, call Facilities Management at 310-825-9236; non-urgent requests should be submitted through the UCLA 311 app, which can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or Google Play.

I thank you for your patience, both during the past few months and in the months to come, as safer-at-home orders are revised and we transition to the next phase of research activities. Looking ahead, I am confident our community will thoughtfully resume our important research, while prioritizing the health and well-being of our colleagues and students.

Please submit any comments or questions about the research ramp-up to C19@research.ucla.edu.

Sincerely,

Roger Wakimoto

Vice Chancellor for Research and Creative Activities