Responsibilities of the Principal Investigator and SDSU Research Foundation SR Administrator
1. Role of the Principal Investigator
The Principal Investigator (PI) has the dual responsibility for complying with the financial and administrative policies of the award while achieving the technical success of the project. Even though the PI may have administrative staff to assist in the management of sponsored projects, the ultimate responsibility for the successful completion of the scope of work and the management of research dollars rests with the PI.
In addition to completing the scope of work as prescribed in the funded proposal, the PI must responsibly initiate expenditures on the award, insure timely submission of expenses for reimbursement, submit required progress reports and comply with applicable sponsor rules and regulations during the day-to-day operation of the project and when making any changes to the scope of work or funded budget. SDSU Research Foundation is committed to assisting PIs in the administration of sponsored research and other activities.
The PI should maintain a close working relationship with the SR administrator assigned to manage his/her funds. The PI should also have a good understanding of the procedures associated with initiating financial transactions, making budgetary changes and revising the scope of work. In addition, the PI is responsible for retaining and storage of all programmatic technical materials and reports in accordance with SDSU Research Foundation record retention requirements (see Fund Closeout).
Satisfactory progress on individual grants and contracts is determined by the funding agency on a project by project basis. Any issues and/or concerns with the performance of a PI regarding adherence to San Diego State University Research Foundation policies and procedures will be initially addressed with the PI by Sponsored Research Administration and/or Human Resources depending on the issue. If the PI is non-responsive or if the response does not result in adherence to Foundation policies and procedures, the situation will then be referred to the Dean of the College and/or the VP for Research as necessary for assistance and resolution. The Foundation relies upon the university's evaluation procedure for faculty as the formal process for performance evaluations.
2. Role of the SR Administrator
SDSU Research Foundation has multiple sponsored research administration offices located both on- and off-campus to provide PIs with on-site administrative support. PIs are generally matched with an SR administrator located in the sponsored research administration office closest to their project offices. The assigned SR administrator will typically manage all of the SDSU Research Foundation and The Campanile Foundation funds associated with each PI, allowing the SR administrator to have a better overall picture of a PI's financial resources and providing PIs with one individual to assist them in the management of their funds.
Throughout a project's duration, the SR administrator establishes and monitors funds, provides PIs with an outline of sponsor regulations, SDSURF policies and procedures and reporting requirements for each fund, and monitors expenditures to ensure compliance with federal regulations, agency specific requirements and SDSU Research Foundation policies and procedures. The SR administrator also ensures fiscal reports are submitted in a timely manner, acts as a liaison between the project and the sponsoring agency, provides interpretation of SDSU Research Foundation and sponsor regulations and policies, and furnishes administrative support to the project and its personnel.
SR administrators also conduct "Orientation Meetings" for new or seasoned PIs to provide an overview of SDSU Research Foundation services available to assist PIs in the start up and management of their projects and/or review the specific requirements of a new award.