ANN ARBOR, MI — Laboratory and studio-based research at the University of Michigan will gradually resume over the next several weeks, the university announced Saturday.
Since UM began ramping down non-critical research on March 20, buildings not open for lab and studio-based research have remained restricted to approved personnel only, according to UM. The re-engagement plans will follow an executive order from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer authorizing the limited reopening of laboratory research in the state, the release said.
Because the re-engagement measures apply to only laboratory and studio-based research, UM said all other work that can be done remotely will continue to be done in that manner.
“As the largest public research university in the nation, this is a significant development for our state and our university as we continue to adapt to the coronavirus pandemic,” UM President Mark Schlissel said in a message to the UM community. “We’re beginning to see how certain activities can resume in a public health-informed manner, while also understanding that work will be very different in the months ahead.”
Beginning this month or next, UM anticipated at least four waves of building reopenings which will start with a pilot wave involving six units on the Ann Arbor campus, the release said. The first wave will include the College of Engineering, College of Literature, Sciences and the Arts, Life Sciences Institute, Medical School and A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning.
Other participating buildings include:
- Art and Architecture Building
- Biomedical Science Research Building
- Chemistry Building
- Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building
- G.G. Brown Building
- Life Sciences Institute Building
- North University Building
- Pharmacy Building
During the pilot wave, UM will limit the total number of researchers returning to work, the release said, and it will maintain current restriction on in-person, human-subjects research. Studies with investigational treatments that provide the potential for direct therapeutic benefit that were previously approved should continue, the released said.
Buildings that are not open for laboratory or studio-based research remain restricted to critical approved personnel only, the release said.
“With guidance from public health experts, we will re-evaluate the pilot wave of buildings’ performance metrics for safety, health and compliance within the state guidelines,” said Rebecca Cunningham, UM’s vice president for research. “We then would ideally launch a more expansive second wave of building reopenings across schools, colleges and units about two weeks after this initial wave begins.”
Schools, colleges and units have developed specific research re-engagement plans, and researchers are encouraged to work with their research leadership to obtain lab approvals and complete necessary training before returning to work, the release said.
Decisions regarding graduate students and postdoctoral researchers returning to work are shared decisions, and researchers should communicate with their investigators regarding the status of their labs, Cunningham said.
UM has created a research re-engagement website with guidelines and plans for safely resuming research during the pandemic.
Schlissel stressed the importance of working together and obeying public health guidelines so the university can fully return to in-person work.
I know this is difficult. We all want to be back to in-person work. I very much miss seeing the vibrancy of campus each day and look forward to being able to walk into the office again," Schlissel said. “To help us reach the day when we can all be together, shared responsibility is essential, not just for our mission but for each other, our families and our future health.”
More information can be found here.
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