Research Services is continuing its regular business of providing support to the UTMB research community, including all pre and post award assistance, funding support, training, IRB and clinical research support.
After Hurricane Ike in 2008, Research Services learned that through the technology UTMB offers, the office could function remotely. Since then, Research Services has regularly had employees telecommute without interruption in the services provided to campus. On any given day, there are a handful of employees working from their homes across the region.
This has prepared Research Services to continue its important work during this time of social distancing. The entire Research Service office is online and working daily. The same phone number you use to reach your Research Services contact is the number you use to reach them during this time. Your IRB, IACUC, Pre and Post Award contacts all are available via email and Skype as well, and have full network connections (as long as campus is connected).
Research Education has the ability and is working to schedule classes via Skype, so we can continue in the development of our research and grants administration teams.
If you need assistance with any of the research-related systems on campus, such as InfoEd or Velos, please do not hesitate to contact us as usual. Remember, you must be connected to the UTMB network to access both systems.
If you have a need for training, please reach out. We can accommodate the request. And, all training on the calendar through at least April will be available through Skype as well, so watch for information coming to you from our training staff with instructions on how to connect to class.
Most of our required trainings, such as DBR and Velos, also are available online at learn.utmb.edu.
Some things, such as picking up ClinCards, cannot be done with technology. But, the Office of Clinical Research will make arrangements with you to pick up ClinCards on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact OCR to schedule a pick up if you need ClinCards. Also, be aware that because of the evolving situation, circumstance might prevent OCR from being able to provide ClinCards. If that should happen, watch for communication from OCR and alternative plans.
Again, the entire Research Services team is still here to assist you every step of the way as you navigate the world of sponsored research. Please reach out if you have any questions.