Principal Investigator (PI) & Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) Exception Requests

Applies to:

This policy applies to individuals holding appointment titles such as Research Associate, Postdoctoral Fellow, Specialist, and Visiting or Adjunct Faculty with non-continuing appointments in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR). These individuals are not eligible to serve as a PI or Co-PI on sponsored projects without prior approval from the Office of Research and Innovation (ORI).

Definition of PI/Co-PI:

  • Is an individual viewed by the applicant organization to have the appropriate level of authority and responsibility to direct a project or program.
  • Is generally defined as those who are responsible for the design, conduct, or reporting of the funded research.
  • Has the responsibility for overseeing the project intellectually, logistically, and financially.
  • Is responsible and accountable to the applicant organization, sponsor, and any collaborating organizations for the proper conduct of the project including conducting the project ethically, following financial and compliance regulations, and submitting all required reports punctually.

Procedure:

To request a PI or Co-PI exception, applicants must complete and submit the online request form using the link provided below. The form collects essential personnel and proposal information and requires responses to the following prompts:

  • Justification for the request
  • Description of the individuals proposed role and responsibilities, including alignment with the project
  • Summary of relevant experience on sponsored projects within the past five (5) years

Applicants are encouraged to notify their Department Chair or Director prior to submitting the request.

Review Process:

After submission, requests are reviewed sequentially by the Department Chair/Director, the CANR AgBioResearch Office of Research Support, the AgBioResearch Associate Director, and finally ORI for approval.

Timing:

Requests are processed as quickly as possible. To ensure timely review and approval, applicants are strongly encouraged to submit requests at least four (4) weeks prior to the proposal deadline.

Questions:

For questions, please contact an ORS Research Administrator at abr.ors@msu.edu or (517) 355-0123, or Kang Xia, AgBioResearch Associate Director, at xiakang@msu.edu.

Initiate PI/Co-PI exception request