Genome Canada’s statement on COVID-19

Stemming the spread of COVID-19

Dear friends and colleagues, 

At Genome Canada, our management team is closely monitoring the evolution of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The situation is fluid and changing daily across the country, and Genome Canada will continue to make adjustments as more is learned about the virus and its impacts on our community and our stakeholders. 

The organization has proactively taken measures to help prevent further spread of the virus, including the implementation of a mandatory work-from-home policy to prioritize the health and well-being of staff and their families. Until further notice, all face-to-face meetings and conferences have been postponed or replaced with virtual options to promote social distancing. In order to stay in touch, we are actively tapping into various video and chat technology options at our disposal.

With regard to funded projects, we are taking action to support the research teams we work with. Specifically: 

• We recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic will likely slow or inhibit the ability of teams to conduct certain research, to complete progress reports, to prepare financial reports, or to publish research results as planned. As such, we will make allowances for delays caused by the pandemic. 
• We understand that most travel now requires cancellation or postponement. Any travel cancellation/rescheduling costs resulting from the spread of COVID-19 will be considered as eligible Genome Canada project expenditures. We continue to assess what other unanticipated project costs will be considered eligible.
• We will consider eligible continued payment of all research team members, including those research team members who have been re-deployed within their institutions to work on the front lines to combat COVID-19, and those research team members who are unable to work on Genome Canada funded projects due to circumstances beyond their control and are not being reimbursed by other sources.
• We will offer greater flexibility with no-cost extensions for all currently funded research teams should they experience delays due to COVID-19. 
• We are looking closely at processes for competitions that are now in progress to ensure fairness and equity across all such competitions. 
• We are working with the regional Genome Centres and any relevant partners to assess current competition deadlines and other key dates.