A gradual, stepwise approach to reopening, informed by public health expertise, will be essential The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to an unprecedented disruption of society. Institutions of higher education have been no exception. To preserve the safety of their communities and adhere to public health guidance, universities and colleges around the world have rapidly pivoted to fully online teaching and learning models, implemented remote work for the majority of employees, and shuttered countless public spaces and programs. Most “on-site” research activities—in laboratories, in clinics, or in the field—also ground to a halt. Many institutions are now planning or implementing a ramp-up of on-site research activities, which offers an opportunity to begin implementing policies and practices that will lay the groundwork for the eventual reopening of additional onsite academic programming, including teaching. To ramp up safely, institutions are working with stakeholder groups—such as public health experts, as well as faculty, staff, and students—to develop guiding principles that will help inform and drive decision-making over the coming months. We synthesized several risk and decision-making frameworks under development at our universities to develop a set of criteria informed by public health expertise that institutions should consider before and during the first stages of restoring research activities and less certain factors to consider for subsequent phases.