Research and other sponsored project activities are supportive of the University of Notre Dame ‘s broad educational mission and are thus conducted under the responsible control of the University’s Regular Faculty. Principal Investigators (PIs) or Project Directors (PDs) of externally funded projects are normally required to be members of the Regular Faculty. The chair and dean of the relevant academic unit must approve each proposal for an externally sponsored program by signing the Proposal Routing Form, and, by doing so, are indicating their approval for the PI/PD to undertake the project. In certain instances, it may be appropriate for individuals who are not members of the Regular Faculty to serve as PIs or PDs. If the PI/PD of a proposed project is not a member of the Regular Faculty, the signatures of the chair and dean on the Proposal Routing Form also indicate their approval of the person serving in that capacity for that project.
Some externally funded programs are clearly of an administrative, as contrasted with an academic or scholarly, nature and should be headed by the director or the associate/assistant director of an administrative office. In this case, the immediate supervisor and the appropriate Vice President also indicate, by signing the Proposal Routing Form, that they approve of the individual serving as PI/PD.
Graduate students, postdocs and Visiting Faculty generally do not serve as PIs/PDs or Co-PIs/PDs. In some cases, an externally funded program may require that one of these individuals be listed as a PI/PD or Co-PI/PD, or there may be other good cause to consider a waiver of this restriction. In such cases, the Office of Research should be contacted well in advance of the proposal deadline so that the case may be discussed and considered with the appropriate University personnel. A written request may be required from the chair and dean of the appropriate department prior to the Office of Research approving PI/PD or Co-PI/PD status.
It should be noted that all PIs/PDs or Co-PIs/PDs are subject to the University’s Conflict of Interest Policy and will be required to have current form(s) on file in the Office of Research before a proposal will be submitted.
