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Rationale

Proper management of grant funds is essential to uphold the fiduciary responsibilities of the University.  To ensure proper oversight, an individual with Regular Appointment at the university must be responsible for each grant account, IRB  protocol or IACUC protocol. 

Definitions 

• Principal Investigator (PI)*: This title identifies the individual responsible for the conduct of the sponsored project. The PI is responsible for the intellectual content and administrative aspects of the project, fiscal accountability, and adherence to relevant policies and regulations.  The PI, in conjunction with the Office of Sponsored Programs & Research (SPRS), is responsible for all communications with the sponsor.
   
• Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI): Refers to one or more individuals who share responsibility for the project with the Principal Investigator.  This title carries the same requirements as those of the PI. 
   
• Co-Investigator (Co-I): Designates key personnel for a project but without the oversight responsibilities of a Principal or Co-Principal Investigator.

Who can serve as a PI/Co-Pi or Co-I

• Regular Faculty status: The regular faculty is composed of all full-time faculty who have been awarded tenure or are eligible to be awarded tenure (i.e., professor, associate professor, or assistant professor). Can serve as PI, Co-PI and Co-I. If regular faculty serves as a PI anyone can serve as Co-PI or Co-I.
  
  Full-time faculty who are not on tenure track appointment (i.e., lecturer, associate lecturer, or assistant lecturer and professor of practice). Can serve as PI, Co-PI and Co-I only with approval of college deans.
   
• Regular Appointment status: A non-faculty appointment for which the employment relationship between the University and the employee is intended to last for an undetermined period and the position is funded by general funds.  Can serve as PI, Co-PI and Co-I. 
   
• Emeritus & Retired faculty cannot serve as PI.  They can only serve as a Co-PI or Co-I with the dean’s office approval. 
   
• Postdoctoral fellows, Research Associate, graduate students, and undergraduate students may serve as PI on external grants —if permitted by the sponsor—only if an individual with Regular Faculty status or Regular Appointment status agrees to serve as the Co-PI.  Postdoctoral fellows, Research Associate, graduate students, and undergraduate students cannot serve as PIs on IACUC or IRB protocols.
   
• Adjunct faculty and Visiting Professors may not serve as PI. They can only serve as a Co-PI or Co-I with the dean’s office approval.
   
• Other appointment status in some circumstances may serve as PI only if a chair, dean, or the head of the administrative unit such as director, vice president etc. serve as Co-PI and accept fiscal responsibility for the project and ensure that project reporting requirements and deliverables are met. 

Any exception to this policy must be approved in writing by the AVP for Research.

Note: The sponsor may have more stringent eligibility requirements which will supersede these guidelines.