Principal Investigator Eligibility and Criteria for Exceptions

Establishes the policy that principal investigatorship or co-principal investigatorship on externally funded projects is limited to members of the Academic Council and the University Medical Line (UML) faculty, with specific exceptions.

1. Principal Investigator Eligibility Policy

Eligibility to act as a principal investigator (PI) or co-principal investigator (Co-PI) on externally funded projects is a privilege limited to members of the Academic Council and to the UML faculty. This policy limitation is in place because PIs are responsible for determining the intellectual direction of the research and scholarship, and for the training of graduate students.

The designation of "PI" or "Co-PI" for any member of the Academic Staff, or other individual who is not a member of the University's Academic Council or UML faculty, requires specific approval by the relevant department chair, school dean and, in some cases, the Dean of Research, as described below.

2. Exceptions

There are three kinds of exceptions to the PI eligibility policy. The first and second deal with those situations in which exceptions may be granted by the department chair, and school dean or director of the SLAC National Laboratory if all of the prescribed conditions are in place. The third category of exception represents all other situations which require the approval of the department chair, school dean, and Dean of Research. Exceptions in this third category rarely will be granted.

A. Exceptions Subject to the Approval of the Department Chair and School Dean

Requests for PI eligibility for researchers who are not members of the Academic Council or the UML faculty (e.g., Academic Staff members, Postdoctoral Scholars, Instructors or other researchers) in the following situations may be made on a case-by-case basis by the relevant member of the Academic Council or UML faculty who has oversight responsibility for the proposed PI.

Such requests are subject to the written approval of the department chair and cognizant dean. (In those cases where the proposals arise from areas outside a school dean's jurisdiction, the Dean of Research will act as the equivalent of the school dean in approving such requests.) The approval of the department chair and the dean shall not be pro forma, but shall take into account the academic quality of the proposal, the qualifications of the proposed PI, and the relevance and importance of the proposal to other activities of the University. Such requests will be made only for a particular project with a specified project period. Documentation of the chair and dean's approval must accompany proposals submitted to the Office of Sponsored Research.

1. Conferences, Exhibits, Workshops or Public Events

Researchers who are not members of the Academic Council or the UML faculty may be approved to serve as PIs on externally sponsored projects whose sole purpose is to fund short conferences, exhibits, workshops, or other public events of a character appropriate to the University.

2. Specific Projects Which Are Part of Large Interdisciplinary Programs

Researchers who are not members of the Academic Council or the UML faculty may be approved to serve as PIs on projects within the scope of a large interdisciplinary program. For this purpose a "large interdisciplinary program" is defined as a research program which: a) is directed by a member of the Academic Council or UML faculty, b) has an expected duration beyond the involvement of any individual faculty participant, c) has more than one faculty member involved, and d) requires expertise in more than one discipline or technical area. All of the following conditions must be met in order for the department chair and school dean to approve PI exceptions in such cases:

1. The proposed project must be a demonstrably important component of the success of the overall interdisciplinary program, as defined above
2. There is no member of the Academic Council or UML faculty associated with the  large interdisciplinary project who is qualified to take responsibility for the scientific direction of the prospective research project
3. No incremental space will be required for the project
4. For each graduate student participating on the project, a qualified faculty member has been identified 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
5. Exceptions approved under this provision will be reported to the Dean of Research on an annual basis.

3. Career Development Awards

Researchers who are not members of the Academic Council or the UML faculty may be approved to serve as PIs on a class of projects generically referred to as Career Development Awards, whose stated purpose is to advance the individual's scientific career. Such petitions may be approved if the project is to be carried out under the mentorship of an established faculty or UML investigator who is named in the proposal, and if the project can be conducted within the overall intellectual scope and laboratory space of the faculty mentor. Often in these cases the awards cover only the individual's salary and incidental expenses, but not incremental staff or students.

Career Development PI Waiver requests are subject to the following:

1. Written approval of the faculty supervisor (who must be a member of University Tenure Line, University Medical Line, or Nontenure Line professoriate), the relevant department chair, center or institute director (if no departmental resources are to be used), and the appropriate school Dean’s Office.
2. A guarantee of space and resources for the duration of the grant by the faculty mentor or department chair.
3. The understanding that the grant may not, under any circumstances, support a graduate student.  If the grant will have funding to appoint a postdoctoral scholar, the waiver recipient would be responsible for the day-to-day research supervision of the work of the postdoctoral scholar; however, the overall career mentoring of the supported postdoctoral scholar would be the responsibility of an Academic Council or University Medical Line faculty member.

4. Expanded Career Development Awards

Expanded Career Development Award Exceptions for MD and MD/PhD Fellows and for PhD Postdoctoral Fellows in the School of Medicine are a very specific category of Career Development PI waivers.  The School of Medicine Dean may approve a limited number of selected exceptional MD, MD/PhD clinical fellows, and PhD postdoctoral fellows with two or more years of research training to serve, with written agreement of their faculty mentor and relevant department chair, as PI for an extramural “R”-type or comparable "non-traditional" career development research award on a one-time basis without possibility of grant renewal.  This one-time opportunity is restricted to only one grant application per applicant and its allowable resubmissions, with no possibility of additional applications or resubmissions beyond those allowable for the specific grant application.

Expanded Career Development Award exception requests are subject to the following:

1. Candidates must have two or more years of research training.  In addition, applicants should have a research record (publications and prior research training) that is consistent with their having a reasonable chance of success on the grant application in order to receive this specific expanded PI career development waiver opportunity.
2. Written approval of the faculty supervisor (who must be a member of University Tenure Line, University Medical Line, or Nontenure Line Research professoriate), the relevant department chair, center or institute director (if no departmental resources are to be used), and the School of Medicine Dean’s Office.
3. A guarantee of space and resources for the duration of the grant by the faculty mentor or department chair.
4. Signature of the postdoctoral trainee to document understanding of the terms of the waiver, including that there is no possibility of renewal if awarded, and no possibility of subsequent submissions (beyond those allowable for the specific grant application) should the application be unsuccessful.
5. The endorsement and approval of a standing independent faculty review committee, reporting to the Senior Associate Dean for Research at the School of Medicine, that concludes that the postdoctoral candidate is exceptional and has the training, experience, preliminary data and publication track record to indicate that the grant application has a reasonable chance for a positive review and potential funding.
6. The understanding that the grant may not, under any circumstances, support a graduate student.  If the grant will have funding to appoint a postdoctoral scholar, the waiver recipient would be responsible for the day-to-day research supervision of the work of the postdoctoral scholar; however, the overall career mentoring of the supported postdoctoral scholar would be the responsibility of an Academic Council or University Medical Line faculty member.

5. Pending Appointments for New Faculty

Faculty whose appointment start date is in the future may apply for proposals through Stanford provided the project period start date is not prior to the appointment start date and the appointment has been approved by the Provost. In addition, an award cannot be accepted until the member’s appointment has begun.

6. Clinical Educators in School of Medicine (PILOT)

During a five year pilot period of June 11, 2020 – June 10, 2025, School of Medicine Dean or designee may approve Clinician Educators (CE) to be PIs on research proposals under the following conditions:

1.  The CE PI waiver would be dedicated specifically for the conduct of clinical trials and patient care related clinical research.
2. Only Clinician Educators who are at the rank of Clinical Assistant Professor or above are eligible.
3. Only Clinician Educators who are Full-Time are eligible.
4. The following CE PI waiver eligibility criteria also apply:

• They are reviewed on a case-by-case basis;
• There is a defined programmatic need which is Clinical Trials and Patient Care related Clinical Research;
• The Departmental Chair confirms that the proposed PI has the requisite qualifications to direct the project and provides assurance that the work will be conducted in accord with the standards of excellence of the University (the qualifications of the proposed PI are also reviewed independently by the School of Medicine Senior Associate Dean for Research Office, including evidence that all appropriate PI trainings have been completed); 
• No incremental space is required for the project;
• The proposed project is term limited;
• The PI cannot mentor graduate students.

7. Specific Projects Which Are Part of a Shared Facility or Service Center (PILOT)

During a five year pilot period of April 22, 2021-April 21, 2026, MD or PhD-level researchers and staff who are not members of the Academic Council or the University Medical Line (UML) faculty may be approved to serve as PIs on projects within the scope of a shared facility or service center. For this purpose a "shared facility" or “service center” is defined as a center providing critical research infrastructure to the broader Stanford community, as follows: The shared facility or service center must:

• have an expected duration beyond the involvement of any individual faculty participant,
• have users spanning many (e.g., three or more) departments

For approval of PI exceptions in such cases the following criteria must be met:

1. Only shared facility/service center MD or Ph.D.-level staff are eligible.
2. The PI waiver would be dedicated specifically for funding opportunities in support of the shared facility/service center. 
3. There is a defined programmatic need of the shared facility/service center;
4. The proposed project is term limited;
5. There is no member of the Academic Council or University Medical Line (UML) faculty associated with the shared facility/service center who is qualified to take responsibility for the scientific direction and has the capacity to lead the prospective research project.
6. Waivers are reviewed on a case-by-case basis;
7. Approvals shall be obtained as follows:
   
   1. The Faculty Lead of the shared facility/service center confirms that the proposed PI has the requisite qualifications to serve as PI on the specific project;
   2. The Faculty Lead of the shared facility/service center provides assurance that the work will be conducted in accord with the standards of excellence of the University; and,
   3. The Faculty Lead of the shared facility/service center confirms all appropriate PI trainings have been completed;
8. The shared facility/service center Faculty Lead, the Center Advisory Board (if one exists), and the School Dean or designee (if applicable) all agree on the selection of the PI;
9. The research or development to be conducted must be conducted within the shared facility/service center and affiliated locations only; 
10. For each graduate student participating on the project, a qualified faculty member is identified 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.
11. Exceptions approved under this provision will be reported to the Vice Provost and Dean of Research or their designee on an annual basis, who will provide annual updates to C-Res.

B. Exceptions for Senior and Distinguished Staff Scientists or Engineers of the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory

The SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC) is a national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy operated by Stanford University under contract with the Department of Energy.  SLAC performs mission-driven basic research in particle physics, astrophysics, and photon science including synchrotron radiation.  As an affiliated academic unit of Stanford University, research conducted at SLAC is subject to Stanford University’s policies concerning the conduct of research.

The Director of SLAC is responsible both for the administration and operation of SLAC as a national laboratory and for academic matters arising from SLAC’s role as an affiliated academic unit.

SLAC Distinguished Staff Scientist or Engineer and Senior Staff Scientist or Engineer positions are reserved for individuals who have achieved recognition of research leadership nationally or internationally.  Distinguished Staff Scientists or Engineers are appointed by the SLAC Director and Senior Staff Scientists or Engineers are appointed by the Associate Laboratory Director of a particular directorate based on recommendations by a SLAC Appointments and Promotions Committee.

To carry out SLAC’s research mission, the SLAC Director may approve SLAC Distinguished and Senior Staff Scientists or Engineers to be PIs on non-DOE funded research proposals.

PI requests from SLAC Distinguished Staff Scientists or Engineers and Senior Staff Scientists or Engineers are subject to the following conditions:

1. The proposed research must be judged by the SLAC Director to be programmatically relevant to SLAC’s mission.  Proposals that are not deemed to be consistent with SLAC’s mission will not be approved.
2. The proposed research must be carried out on the SLAC site and not require utilization of space on the Stanford campus.
3. A member of the Academic Council must serve as mentor for any Stanford graduate students or postdoctoral scholars involved in the proposed research.
4. The research must be conducted in accord with the University’s policies concerning the conduct of research and approved PIs must receive PI training.

PILOT: During a five year pilot period of June 11, 2020 – June 10, 2025, SLAC Director may approve continuing SLAC Staff Scientists and Engineers to be PIs on non-DOE funded research proposals under the existing criteria and conditions for Distinguished and Senior Staff Scientists and Engineers as described above.

C. Rare Exceptions Subject to the Approval of the Department Chair, School Dean and Dean of Research

In addition to the foregoing, rare exceptions to the PI eligibility policy may be made at the discretion of the Dean of Research in unusual and non-recurring situations that meet a particular need or opportunity for the University. Such requests will be considered only for a specific project with a specific project period. Examples of rare exceptions that have been granted are: proposals submitted by visiting faculty members and other senior visitors for a limited period of time; proposals submitted by a faculty candidate selected by a department but not yet approved by the Provost, Advisory Board, and President; permission for administrators to submit proposals in support of a project in their area (e.g., the museum or the Stanford University Press); special cases of sponsored instruction; and situations where an Academic Council or UML faculty investigator ceases to be available and it is necessary for the proposed PI to oversee an orderly phase out of a project.

Requests for such exceptions should be made by a member of the Academic Council or UML faculty on behalf of the proposed PI. Such requests are subject to the approval of the cognizant department chair, school dean, and the Dean of Research.

In all cases, the following six criteria must be met:

Criteria for Granting Rare Exceptions

1. 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 UML faculty as directly relevant to and supportive of the research or teaching programs of the faculty. Research that may be important in its own right and for which outside funding is available will not be judged as meeting the programmatic need criterion unless it facilitates the ongoing objectives of the University in an identifiable and direct way.
2. The proposed research cannot be funded and/or conducted effectively at Stanford unless the proposed individual is the PI. Among other things, this generally will mean that there is no member of the Academic Council or UML faculty available to take the responsibility for the scientific direction of the project.
3. The proposed PI's qualifications to direct the project provide assurance that the work will be conducted in accord with the standards of excellence of the University.
4. No incremental space will be required for the project.
5. For each graduate student participating in the project, a qualified faculty member has been identified 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.
6. The research must be designed and conducted in such a way that work can be discontinued when programmatic need ends or if the sponsoring faculty member ceases to be available.

Exceptions to the PI eligibility policy will be rare in situations other than those described in Section 2.A and 2.B above. A written copy of any such requests, along with the justification and approvals of the sponsoring faculty member, the chair, school dean, and Dean of Research should accompany the sponsored project proposal submitted to the Office of Sponsored Research.

3. Project Designations Other Than Principal Investigator

Establishment of project teams is the Principal Investigator's responsibility. In this regard, the PI will consider such factors as project requirements, sponsor guidelines related to key project personnel, and the qualifications and contributions of participating researchers, among other factors. Stanford University considers co-principal investigators (Co-PIs) to be equivalent to principal investigators in all regards; eligibility for co-principal investigator status is therefore the same as for principal investigator status, as defined in this policy. Other project designations are at the discretion of the Principal Investigator, and may include, for example:

A. Associate Investigators

In circumstances where this designation would be consistent with sponsor guidelines, the PI may designate members of the Academic Staff-Teaching (AS-T, Lecturers and Sr. Lecturers), Academic Staff-Research (AS-R, Research Scientists, and Sr. Research Scientists, Sr. Research Engineers, and Sr. Research Scholars), Academic Staff - Libraries (Assistant Librarians, Associate Librarians, Librarians, Senior Librarians), Postdoctoral Scholars, Instructors or other researchers as "Associate Investigators" on sponsored projects.

B. Co-Investigators

Senior members of the Academic Staff-Research (Sr. Research Scientists, Sr. Research Engineers, and Sr. Research Scholars) and senior members of the Academic Staff - Libraries (Librarians or Senior Librarians) may also be designated by their Academic Council or UML faculty supervisors as "Co-Investigators" on those externally-funded projects in which such senior Academic staff members (Research or Libraries) carry substantial project leadership roles. It is not expected that this designation will normally be used for Postdoctoral Scholars, Instructors or other researchers, although such designation may be used in cases where the researcher is performing in such a role and the designation is allowed by the sponsor.

4. Review

The PI Eligibility and Criteria for Exceptions policy, including all modifications, should be reviewed by the appropriate body of the Senate of the Academic Council in a period not more than five years from November 1991, and thereafter periodically at intervals not to exceed ten years.