When Georgia Tech accepts a grant or contract from an external sponsor, the Institute is responsible for ensuring the project is performed correctly, the funds received are managed appropriately, and the sponsor is held accountable. 

The Principal Investigator (PI) or Project Director (PD) is responsible for determining the intellectual direction of the research and scholarship, as well as for training graduate students. Additionally, the PI/PD is responsible for the design, conduct, and reporting — both scientific or technical and fiscal — of the research.

This policy applies to all Georgia Tech faculty and staff members. 
 

Who is eligible?

The Institute's policy stipulates that the PI/PD must be a current member of the academic or research faculty of the Institute, as listed in the approved List of Faculty Titles. 

Retired but Working Faculty

Retired members of these faculty groups who work on an hourly-as-needed basis may serve as PI/PD provided there is at least one School/Laboratory/Department willing to provide the necessary administrative commitment to permit the program to be carried out.

Students and Postdocs

For awards where the sponsoring agency eligibility criteria require, encourage, or allow for an undergraduate, graduate, or postdoctoral individual to serve as a PI or co-PI, the Institute will request approval from the applicable Chair or Department Head and identification of a faculty mentor before submitting the proposal application. 

Special Cases

There are other requirements for the title of PI/PD on studies reviewed by the Institutional Review Board, the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, and the Institutional Biosafety Committee. Please visit the Office of Research Integrity Assurance website for details.
 

What are the exceptions?

Occasionally, there may be situations where the Institute needs to make exceptions to the pre-approved list. In such cases, the department head or chair, along with the EVPR, must approve the exception. 

Depending on the type of exception requested, there are two ways to obtain these approvals. It's important to remember that even if we approve an exemption that allows a PI/PD to submit a proposal, Georgia Tech cannot accept an award on a PI/PD's behalf until the researcher has started their employment.

Types of Exceptions 

Review Georgia Tech’s PI/PD policies.

  • Transitional Faculty: This request is for a newly hired tenured or tenure-track faculty member who needs to begin submitting sponsored project proposals on behalf of the Institute before formally beginning their job responsibilities. To qualify, the new hire must be under contract to begin working at Georgia Tech within one year. No departmental action is required to initiate approval. Faculty Affairs provides a list of all newly hired faculty who meet the above criteria each month. The EVPR team approves the eligible researchers, and the approved list is then forwarded to the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP), which allows them to submit proposals with the approved transitional faculty member as PI/PD or Co-PI/PD. 
  • Other PI/PD Exceptions: This request is for all other non-tenured or non-tenure-track faculty, staff, students, or other Georgia Tech-affiliated individuals requesting approval to function as a PI/PD on behalf of Georgia Tech.
Approval Process
  • Requests must be submitted through GT-TRACS, selecting "Other" as the type of package and using the sample text below as a template for the information entered in the notes field. 
  • The RFP and any supporting documentation should be attached to clarify the circumstances and rationale for the exception. The request should be routed to "Organization 120" (EVPR) for approval. 
  • The approved requests will be forwarded by the EVPR's office to OSP. Only one request per PI is required.
Request Template

Please consider approving the appointment of (name) as PI/PD for a proposal in response to the RFP (number/name), which is due to be submitted to the sponsor by (date). (Name) is presently employed by Georgia Tech as (employment status/title). We are seeking an exception to the PI/PD Eligibility Policy based on the following circumstances: (list).

Note: If the researcher is not currently employed by Georgia Tech, please add the following statement: They will officially join (unit) as a (title) on (start date).