The document summarizes a virtual panel discussion held on June 10, 2020, addressing the profound financial and operational impacts of COVID-19 on university research enterprises. Panelists representing Clemson University, the University of Virginia (UVA), and Duke University detailed institutional strategies to estimate and manage research losses, elaborate on the challenges of tracking “idle time” costs, and illustrate the complexities of decision-making amid unprecedented uncertainty and the absence of guaranteed supplementary funding. Institutions developed financial models to assess direct and indirect expenses—such as payroll charges for underproductive personnel, replacement of expired materials, unreimbursed cancellations, infrastructure recommissioning, and ramp-up costs—with data drawn from internal management systems and national sources like NSF HERD. These analyses also captured substantial revenue losses due to suspended activities, terminated contracts, and unreimbursed tuition.
Universities faced significant challenges, including rapidly shifting timelines, incomplete historical data to inform projections, and pressures on faculty to maintain research output while shouldering increased teaching and caregiving responsibilities. Administrators emphasized the necessity of robust communication, faculty advisement, and continuous data monitoring. Nationally, stakeholders expressed concerns about sustaining the research workforce and sought regulatory flexibility and additional federal appropriations to support personnel and facility costs. The discussion differentiated between financial losses that are quantifiable (e.g., replacement of supplies, canceled travel, additional personnel costs) and those more difficult to estimate (e.g., lost efficiency, opportunity costs, delayed projects). Looking ahead, institutions aimed to automate loss calculations, support principal investigators in reporting disruptions, and maintain centralized records—a process complicated by persistent uncertainty around the duration of the pandemic’s impact, policy shifts, and evolving operational constraints. The session underscored the substantial fiscal strain universities faced and the ongoing need for coordinated responses to safeguard research capacity during the COVID-19 crisis.
