Dear Research Community,

The email below was sent to the Associate Deans for Research earlier today.  We were asked to forward to this group as well.  If you have questions please contact either the Division of Sponsored Programs or the Grant Accounting Office. 

Thank you,

Wendy Beaver and Maria Soliman

Dear Associate Deans for Research,

Many faculty and staff have expressed concern over the identification of “meaningful work” during the ramp down of research and creative activities on campus and how sponsored projects may be impacted by the  current pay practices policy, effective May 18.

For the purpose of charging salary to sponsored projects, “meaningful work” may be defined as activities performed, either on campus or remotely, that are directly beneficial to the project.  The PI or program director is in the best position to determine what work will help to move a project forward.

Many off-campus activities can reasonably be attributed to a project, such as literature review, computer programming, calculations and simulations, data and image entry, coding and analysis, manuscript and report writing and editing, planning of experiments to be run when project personnel return to campus, project rumination, virtual interviews, team and collaborator discussions to accomplish related tasks, and online safety or other compliance training. 

If you have additional questions about charging salaries to sponsored projects, please don’t hesitate to contact us, the Division of Sponsored Programs or the Grant Accounting Office. 

Sincerely,

J. Martin Scholtz
Vice President for Research