International Research

International Research Standing Committees

The University has established two standing committees to carry out the procedures: the International Research Committee and the International Research Advisory Committee.

The International Research Committee will consist of Officers of Instruction and/or Officers of Research and representatives from the Office of the General Counsel, the Office of Research Administration, the Finance Division, and the Office of the EVP for Research. This Committee will help enable project teams and administrators to carry out the new Risk Management Procedures. The Committee will report to the Advisory Committee on a quarterly basis.

The International Research Advisory Committee will consist of Officers of Instruction, Officers of Research and senior administrators who have had experience working on international projects. The Advisory Committee will provide oversight of the International Research Committee and will advise on policies and procedures relating to international projects.

International Risk Management Procedures

If a sponsored project proposal involves international research or service, the principal investigator or departmental administrator responsible for the proposal should notify the appropriate project officer in Research Administration as early as possible. Through a series of questions, the project officer will determine whether the project requires further review. The goal is to identify only those types of international projects that might need special assistance (e.g., a project requiring a long-term formal presence in another country or one operating within a country that is subject to export sanctions). The questions are listed on the Criteria Questionnaire (Annex A of the Procedures).

If the answer to one or more of the Criteria Questions is “yes,” the project officer will seek additional information about the project (Annex B of the Procedures). If warranted, the project may then be referred to the International Research Committee for further review.

The Procedures are not designed to second guess the scholarship of a project or to hinder the grant application process. The process is not intended to delay the review and submission of grant applications and, if necessary, can be completed after an application has been submitted. However, the process runs most efficiently when information is provided in a timely manner since significant lead time is often required, as for example, to acquire certain types of export licenses or to file necessary registrations with a foreign government when setting up an office in that country.

After the project has been funded, a more extensive post-award review will occur. Some of the questions considered at that point are detailed in the Post-Award Review (Annex D of the Procedures). Highly complex projects may require further post-award review by an ad hoc committee.

Resources such as the Office of the General Counsel and other offices within the University are available to provide legal, financial and other support to assist international project teams in finding solutions for implementing their service and research goals.