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  • 1.  External Personnel on Grants

    STAR CONTRIBUTOR
    Posted 09-02-2021 07:46

    Hi, all!

     

    I've seen a few discussions on this topic, but wanted to revisit it with this group and maybe get some fresh insight.

     

    How do you handle external personnel serving as Co-PIs, senior personnel or collaborators on grants if there will not be a subaward issued?

     

    What is your policy on who can be a Co-PI?  Do you also have any policies regarding senior personnel or collaborators who are not employees of your institution?  And what about procedures? Do you require any type of agreement (beyond statement that they will abide by your policies)?

     

    I'm especially thinking about things like ensuring compliance, training requirements, etc., for federal awards, but of course I am also interested in what happens if the person doesn't complete the work, assist with reporting, etc... any of the post-award management concerns.

     

    I've had to chase down my fair share of PIs who have left the institution and not completed reports, etc., so I am wondering if anyone has anything to help guide these instances where the person isn't even an employee to begin with.

     

    Thanks!

     

    Pam

     

    Pamela A. (Krauser) Vargas
    Director
    Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

    Southeast Missouri State University

    One University Plaza, MS0125

    Cape Girardeau, MO 63701

    573.651.2196
    pvargas@semo.edu

     



  • 2.  RE: External Personnel on Grants

    STAR CONTRIBUTOR
    Posted 09-02-2021 16:33
    Hi Pamela!

    Our policy / guidance is that PIs & Co-PIs generally must be University Employees, but that non-University employees (and others) may serve as Co-PIs with prior approval and if the sponsor allows: https://ballstate.policytech.com/dotNet/documents/?docid=1989&public=true

    I do think that it is the exception to the rule, and shouldn't be a regular practice. Ultimately the PI of the project should be the one chasing down their Co-Investigators (ha, perfect world) not the research admins!





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    Augusta Isley
    Senior Proposal Manager
    Ball State University
    amwray@bsu.edu
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  • 3.  RE: External Personnel on Grants

    SUPERSTAR CONTRIBUTOR
    Posted 09-03-2021 06:21
    We do the same as Ball State.  We allow unaffiliated Co-PIs, but it's an irregular practice.  (And when I approve it, the post-award staff probably wants to bop me on the head with a pool noodle.)

    A

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    Andrea Buford
    Director, Office of Sponsored Programs
    Oakland University
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  • 4.  RE: External Personnel on Grants

    STAR CONTRIBUTOR
    Posted 09-03-2021 06:46
    Hahahaha!  Thanks, Andrea!  I needed that visual and laugh this morning!

    As an add on, it might be interesting to see if anyone has horror stories about non-University coPIs that they are comfortable sharing, with names changed or redacted to protect the guilty and the innocent....

    Have a great Friday!

    ------------------------------
    Pamela Vargas
    Director, Research & Grant Development
    Southeast Missouri State University
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  • 5.  RE: External Personnel on Grants

    STAR CONTRIBUTOR
    Posted 09-03-2021 07:23

    Andrea,

    I forgot to ask who is involved in approving non-employee coPIs.  Do you do that on your own, or do you have input from the submitting unit/their chain of command?

    Thanks



    ------------------------------
    Pamela Vargas
    Director, Research & Grant Development
    Southeast Missouri State University
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  • 6.  RE: External Personnel on Grants

    RISING STAR CONTRIBUTOR
    Posted 09-02-2021 17:03
    Here at UCI, we require that the PI be a University employee. If they insist on having a non-affiliated individual, then we recommend and suggest going down the route of issuing a Subaward to that individual/entity.


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    Jonathan Lew
    ERA Officer
    University of California, Irvine
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  • 7.  RE: External Personnel on Grants

    STAR CONTRIBUTOR
    Posted 09-03-2021 06:41
    Thanks, Jonathan.  To follow up, have you had any situations where the external coPI wasn't receiving any funding from the grant?

    I know it's odd, but it has happened in my experience.

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    Pamela Vargas
    Director, Research & Grant Development
    Southeast Missouri State University
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