Research Continuity Website

Dear Principal Investigators,

As we gear up for the fall semester, I want to highlight the importance of planning for not only new proposals, experiments and papers, but also the continuity of your research in the event of an emergency. 

Columbia’s research enterprise is one of our greatest assets.  Over the past four years, we have experienced a pandemic, weather emergencies including hurricanes and floods, a relatively small earthquake, and civil unrest. Any such events have the potential to disrupt Columbia research. For this reason, we have developed a dedicated research continuity website. This website is intended to be a “one-stop-shop” for researchers across the University, applicable to any emergency and updated in real time.  

In the event that campus access is restricted for research, we will update the research continuity website to detail the restrictions and access criteria applicable to research. Research deans at the school level will continue to be responsible for approving access for researchers and research visitors in their schools. As EVPR, my team and I meet regularly with the research deans and will continue to coordinate and serve as a point of contact with the University’s senior leadership.

The website highlights the importance of plans to back up critical data, ensure protection for other unique research assets, and identify key personnel who may require physical access to campus. It includes a definition of “essential personnel” for research, incorporating the concepts of “life-critical” processes required to preserve the life of a research asset, and “time-critical” processes required to meet a deadline or avoid a major disruption to a research program.

Finally, we are piloting the use of Environmental Health and Safety’s Laboratory Information Online Network (LION) database to streamline the access approval process. The pilot is currently for wet labs on the Morningside campus only. For these labs, principal investigators or their designee(s) as assigned in LION should log into LION and update their laboratory personnel roster as soon as possible. These rosters will serve as the basis for research deans to coordinate access for specific individuals.  Please note, wet laboratory personnel must be current with applicable Laboratory Safety Training (TC2150, TC4951 or TC0950) in order to be eligible to access campus during periods of significant restriction. If you have questions about this process, please visit the EH&S FAQs or contact [email protected].

We will continue to build out the research continuity website and welcome your suggestions for content. In the meantime, please feel free to forward this email to your teams, and we look forward to a safe and productive fall.

Jeannette M. Wing

Executive Vice President for Research, Columbia University