School of Engineering
Custom Step-by-Step Guide
If an individual wants to act as a Principal Investigator on a sponsored project and is not a regular faculty member (i.e., not a member of the Academic Council), a PI waiver can be requested. Refer the RPH Principal Investigator Eligibility and Criteria for Exceptions. Following is the procedure for requesting a PI waiver:
Jump To:
PI Waivers Requiring Department Chair and School Dean Approval
These types of projects require approval of the department chair and school dean:
- conferences/workshops
- projects which are part of large interdisciplinary programs
- career development awards
These requests should be:
- Initiated by the relevant member of the Academic Council who oversees the proposed PI (either by email or letter)
- Approved by the Department Chair
- Submitted to the ERA Research Administrator (RA). After receiving the request, the RA will forward the request to the ERA director. The ERA director will review the request and make the appropriate recommendation to the School of Engineering Dean’s Office.
PI Waivers Requiring Department Chair, School Dean and Research Dean Approval
The following six criteria must be met (i.e., addressed in the request) for PI waivers for projects that involve unusual and non-recurring situations. These situations meet a particular need or opportunity for the University and require approval of the Department Chair, School Dean, and Dean of Research:
- programmatic need
- proposed research cannot be funded unless the proposed individual is the PI
- proposed PI’s qualifications must meet University standards
- space is not required
- each graduate student is identified with a qualified faculty member
- the research can be ended when programmatic need ends or if sponsoring faculty member is no longer available
These requests should be:
- Initiated by the relevant member of the Academic Council who oversees the proposed PI (either by e-mail or letter)
- Approved by the Department Chair
- Submitted to ERA Research Administrator (RA)
- RA will forward the request to the ERA director. The ERA director will review the request and make the appropriate recommendation to the School of Engineering Dean’s Office. Then the Engineering Dean’s office approves and submits request to the Office of the Vice Provost and Dean of Research.
