HOME /

Effort Policies

Faculty Disclosure Resources

The Office of the Vice Provost for Research has updated faculty disclosure and intellectual property protection guidance for the research community as of May 2021. This information, along with FAQs, can be found on the OVPR website.

Principal Investigator Eligibility

PI and Co-PI Guidelines for FAS and SEAS Researchers and Staff

For each sponsored award, it is customary to designate one person as the project’s Principal Investigator. This is the person who will bear primary responsibility for the project’s design, execution, and oversight as well as for all financial, administrative, and compliance matters.

Sponsors may use different terminology to refer to...

Read more about Principal Investigator Eligibility

Effort Reporting Policy

Adherence to this policy is required for all effort related to federally sponsored grants and contracts as well as any non-federal awards where the sponsor requires effort reporting and/or salary certification.

See also:
Apply > Budget Preparation >...

Read more about Effort Reporting Policy

Cost Sharing

Cost-sharing commitments are generally discouraged in proposals unless they are required by the sponsor. If a proposal commits a quantified portion of a PI’s academic year effort or lists other direct costs that will be paid for by University or sponsored funds, this constitutes a commitment by the University to cost share. Cost shared effort needs to be certified annually, and companion accounts must be set up to track any other items committed.... Read more about Cost Sharing

Cost Transfers

In accordance with OMB costing principles, it is necessary to explain and justify transfers of charges onto federally-funded sponsored awards, where the original charge was previously recorded elsewhere on Harvard's General Ledger.