School of Engineering
Guide to Requesting a PI Waiver
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 Waiver 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 (Engineering Research Administration) 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 Waiver 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.
The six criteria that must be met for a rare exception waiver to be requested are:
- The proposed research must meet a programmatic need of Stanford. Meeting a programmatic need means addressing an area of investigation that is not currently covered at Stanford and is endorsed by a sponsoring member of the Academic Council or MCL (Medical Center Line) faculty as directly relevant to and supportive of the research or teaching programs of the faculty.
- The proposed research cannot be funded and/or conducted effectively at Stanford unless the proposed individual is the Principal Investigator.
- The proposed Principal Investigator’s qualifications to direct the project provide assurance that the work will be conducted in accordance with the standards of excellence of the University.
- No incremental Space will be required for the project.
- For each graduate student participating on the project, an Academic Council member has been identified to serve as research advisor to assure that the student’s research program and the education derived from it are consistent with the degree for which the student is a candidate.
- The research must be designed and conducted in such a way that the work can be discontinued when programmatic need ends or if the sponsoring faculty member ceases to be 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.
