Offices of Research and Partnership, Provost, and Treasurer provide financial support to offset COVID-19 research disruptions

After COVID-19 shutdowns began in March 2020, many Purdue researchers experienced project delays, disruptions or cancellations directly attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To help Purdue principal investigators restart or complete their work, the offices of the Executive Vice President for Research and Partnerships, Provost, and Treasurer created a $2.1 million COVID-19 Research Disruption Fund. This fall, more than 90 applications met the criteria for this one-time funding and will receive support from a combination of institutional funds and the federal Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF). The 90 awards ranged from $5,000 to $25,000 and will be used to fund expenses such as staff and postdoctoral salaries, graduate student stipends and core facility usage charges.

“COVID-19 created gaps for our researchers that could not be closed with available project funds, and this meant significant negative impacts on long-term research outcomes and career progressions,” says Theresa Mayer, executive vice president for research and partnerships. “The creation of this fund allowed us to help close those gaps, so that our researchers could get back on track.”

The fund combined resources from the EVPRP Bridge Program, the Provost Research Refresh Program, and HEERF. Accepted proposals were notified in October.