As the pandemic continues to not only drag on but intensify, the toll on institutions and staff is becoming more evident. To get a sense of what was happening, and how it could help, NIH conducted surveys this fall. The findings provide perhaps the first large-scale—albeit limited—look at the concerns organizations and researchers are wrestling with.
Increased expenses to ensure the safety of staff and students during COVID-19 are among the factors related to the pandemic that have most substantially affected institutions, according to nearly 70% of the more than 200 research administration leaders responding to the survey.
[1] Close to 32% reported “institutional hiring freezes,” and approximately 62% cited reduced access to labs as the factors “most negatively” affecting research functions.