Research Continuity During Unexpected Disruptions

Unexpected disruptions can arise from a variety of situations, from individual life circumstances to national or global developments. Research & Innovation will keep you informed of developments that could affect a large segment of Cornell researchers or the university as a whole.

September 2024: The university has begun the process of collective bargaining with the United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of America (UE), which represents a bargaining unit that includes TAs, GRAs, RAs and GAs at the Ithaca, Geneva, and Cornell Tech campuses. Additional information is available at Research Continuity Planning: Graduate Assistant Unionization and the Graduate Assistant Unionization Update website.

• Review the roles that your research group members, such as graduate student advisees and research staff, play in the weekly activities and operations of your research. While each research group operates differently, here you should identify spots to be mindful of if individual research group members or segments of your research group were absent from virtual communication or physical presence due to an unexpected life circumstance.
• Prepare a plan, considering several scenarios.
  • Many of us are practiced at supporting our students and research continuity for our group or projects. In fact, some managed similar circumstances during the pandemic quarantine, maintaining and updating "if/then" plans when someone was out for a week unexpectedly. Others are newer to Cornell and research group leadership.
  • Best practice for research continuity is to develop shared plans that the research group leader knows and communicates to the rest of their group members. In the event of a strike or other unexpected disruption, several research group members could be out at the same time, so your plans should reflect that scenario.
  • Imagine situations beyond your typical lab or office boundaries. If your group conducts research activities that include human subjects, animals in research, or specialized equipment under your direct management or in shared facilities, additional considerations apply. OVPRI is here to help as you think through these possibilities, including the Office of Research Integrity and Assurance (ORIA), which supports IRB, IACUC, and related research protocols and practices. You may be uncertain how some research activities include Cornell staff colleagues whose service roles continue during campus or global disruptions. ORIA colleagues can help clarify these matters to help with your planning.
  • If you would like feedback on your scenario planning, discussions may be helpful with your department and field colleagues who may be practiced in such research adaptations. Often an “if/then” shorthand is shared among those whose research activities and locations are similar. OVPRI will hold office hours for those faculty seeking additional advice; you may reach out by email to your faculty colleagues in OVPRI to consult sooner than that.
• Revise as appropriate. Again, from collective experience in pandemic disruptions, research leaders will need to adapt as circumstances change. Best practices for the faculty leader include keeping your current plan handy and accessible and sharing with others in your research team.
• Reach out to your Grant and Contract Officer specifically or to OVPRI more generally if external research funders (e.g., federal sponsoring agency program directors) of your research projects or programs contact you. As in a pandemic disruption, sponsors may be curious or formally request updates on research project and budget impact. OVPRI will field these questions as needed, to enable timely and accurate responses for Cornell and to enable you to clearly focus on your research group members and activities.