COVID-19, Versus Arthritis Research – Frequently asked questions

1. What if any resource are you allocating to COVID-19 research?

This is a live conversation within the research directorate and the charity on how best we can respond. We

We will use our comms channels to promote what work that our researchers are doing in this area.

2. Is Versus Arthritis continuing as usual with studies unrelated to COVID-19?

Versus Arthritis will support any decision made by the host institute, to prioritise frontline care or COVID-19

studies. This means that many research studies funded by Versus Arthritis may need to be paused.

Additionally, Versus Arthritis asks that you pause the site set up of any new or ongoing studies at NHS and

social care sites that are not nationally prioritised COVID-19 studies. If there are exceptional reasons why you

feel this is not appropriate for your research, please contact your awards team.

Versus Arthritis will support any decision for studies to continue, provided this has no detrimental effect on

patients or patient care.

3. Will applications for research that will not be affected by Covid-19 restrictions be prioritised?

5. What does ‘pausing’ a study mean?

Ultimately, the aim of pausing a study will be to release staff time for NHS frontline care, to protect public

health or because of closures within your institution. This is likely to delay the research contract end date with

implications for research deliverables and for funding flows to contracted organisations. If it is not possible to

continue or adapt your normal research activity, you may apply for a short-term suspension to your award.

Your award will not be active for the duration of the suspension and will be reinstated and appropriately

extended when you are able to initiate activity.

6. Will organisations which hold Versus Arthritis contracts and who need to pause research be

penalised?

If research staff funded on awards are unable to continue research due to redeployment of staff to NHS

frontline, Versus Arthritis will continue to support salaries, recognising that these will subsequently be

recoverable from the employing organisation. Our expectation is that the host institution will investigate

and seek support through the CJRS.

Furloughing of staff is a local decision to be taken by the host institution and Versus Arthritis will support

decisions to furlough staff where they are not able to continue with their research activity.

To ensure parity for research staff funded by our awards with those paid directly by the institution, our position

on the top up of furloughed staff salaries is to follow the policy of the institution and we will require sight of this

policy to agree any request.

8. Will Versus Arthritis communicate with individual institutions to inform them of the furlough

policy?

We have been in communication with some universities but not all as we want to get a clear picture of the

issues award holders are facing before we do this, as different institutions may be doing different things re

9. Will Versus Arthritis be accepting supplement requests?

Charities are facing enormous financial pressure as a consequence of the Covid-19 crisis and whilst we

appreciate that you may be considering the long term effects of this on your own research at an early stage,

we are unable to make any decisions related to supplementary funding at this time. We are working closely

with AMRC, and other charities to assess and highlight to the Government the cost of Covid-19 for charities,

currently estimated at £310m across the sector and we will assess the final cost to Versus Arthritis specifically,

once the crisis draws to a close. For more information on impact on the sector see this AMRC infographic

https://www.amrc.org.uk/Handlers/Download.ashx?IDMF=b5a3f8b6-2674-40f1-acd9-31d52a334315

When we are at this point, we will be working with institutions and our award holders to assess supplement

10. Who needs to do what to pause a study?

organisations hosting the study choose to pause the activity that they are responsible for. Alternatively, a

sponsor can choose to pause an entire study, but they should do so in discussion with the Principal/Chief

Investigator and organisations hosting the research. The Principal/Chief Investigator of a study which is wholly,

or part funded by Versus Arthritis should contact their relevant Versus Arthritis awards team to inform them

that a study has been paused.

11. What records need to be kept in relation to paused Versus Arthritis contracts?

This has yet to be fully determined, but for Versus Arthritis funded studies, organisations holding Versus

Arthritis awards should keep:

• a record of the staff normally funded through the research contract who have been redeployed onto

non-research activity or

The AMRC and non-commercial funders support the prompt restart of studies so long as they are considered

viable at site level. If studies are able to restart without the need for a protocol amendment or study extension,

studies may proceed to assessment of other pre-conditions. They urge all studies requiring a protocol

amendment to liaise with their funder on requirement to re-open studies.

The aim will be to restart paused studies and fulfil contracts. Where this might prove difficult, the relevant

Versus Arthritis awards team will be able to advise on the process associated with closing a study. Studies

that restart are likely to require a contract extension and again, Versus Arthritis awards team will advise on

process.

13. Will Versus Arthritis provide guidance on how to decide which studies to pause, either

proactively or upon request?

services. In this scenario, Chief/Lead Investigators should come to a decision with the host institute/ sponsors

on whether to pause a study overall.

15. What will happen to people who have already been recruited into research/clinical trials which

The Principal Investigator will need to discuss with the central study team and the hosting Trust R&D

department how quality of care can be maintained taking account of need across the institution. The CI/PI will

be expected to communicate directly with any existing participants about the decision taken and any next

steps in terms of their care and the study itself.

16. I am concerned about the safety of participant(s) in a study which is paused. How do I voice

this?

The Principal Investigator of the study should raise any concerns about the conduct of the central study team

and the hosting Trust R&D department. The host institution should abide by the terms and conditions of

contract relating to research ethics.

If you are a patient participating in a study and have concerns, you should contact the named team (this may

be called the Patient Advice and Liaison Team) given as a point of contact in the information sheet given to

you when you agreed to take part in the research.

17. Will Versus Arthritis provide funding for PPE when recruitment to studies is restarted?

We would consider the health and safety of staff and patients to be an institutional responsibility and local

Where Versus Arthritis awards are being significantly impacted by COVID-19 we will not require routine

monitoring reports until after the award has returned to the original contracted delivery status.

20. I have not submitted to the recent Researchfish submission window. How do I submit now?

Holders of Versus Arthritis awards with a contractual requirement to submit in the May 2020 Researchfish

report round will be given a further opportunity to submit their information later this year. In the meantime,

sanctions will not be applied. You may, of course, continue to enter and edit information on the outputs,

outcomes and impact of your Versus Arthritis-funded research in Researchfish at any time.

21. In relation to the specific calls listed in our announcement:

Current active calls

We are reviewing our deadlines and ability to deliver calls regularly. We are also currently considering next

year’s funding activity and will ensure that all decisions or changes to activity will be published on our website

interviews will now take place in November 2020

The deadline for Medical Technologies has been extended to 30 June 2020

• Fellowship Prizes

This call will remain open. The deadline has been moved from 22 April 2020 to 01 July 2020. Winners will

be announced in September 2020

Planned calls affected

• Senior Research Fellowships

This call is now open with an extended deadline of the 9 September 2020, interviews are planned for

February 2021. We will update our website if this position changes

• Career Development Fellowships

This call is now open with an extended deadline of the 9 September 2020, interviews are planned for