A Principal Investigator (PI) is the lead person responsible for preparing, conducting, and overseeing the administration of a research grant, cooperative agreement, training or public service project, contract, or other sponsored project. This includes ensuring the project is carried out in compliance with laws, sponsor requirements, and CUNY SPS policies. CUNY SPS adheres to the Responsible Conduct of Research policies and procedures instituted by CUNY’s Office of Research.
PI Responsibilities
A PI must take responsibility for all aspects of the implementation of the proposed research strategy. The PI is responsible not only to ensure completion of their portion of the project work but also to:
- Obtain and update any necessary IRB approvals;
- Supervise all other faculty and staff working on the project and ensure accurate timekeeping;
- Certify their effort as well as the effort of all faculty members involved in the project;
- Ensure appropriate spending of funds;
- Ensure the timely submission of all project reports and deliverables to the sponsor, and
- Meet any other relevant grant requirements.
Effort Commitment
At the proposal stage, the PI must estimate the amount of effort required to ensure the project is successful and request sufficient coverage from the sponsor to dedicate this time.
Per CUNY and RFCUNY policy, faculty listed as a PI or Key Personnel are generally expected to commit at least 1% effort to a sponsored project, unless the award is specifically for equipment, instrumentation, or doctoral dissertation support. Some sponsors may mandate a higher minimum effort. PIs must always defer to the specific Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA).
Effort commitments must follow the CUNY Effort Determination & Reporting Policy, which outlines requirements for calculating and tracking research effort as a percentage of total institutional activities. The Office of Grants and Contracts reviews proposed effort commitments, including course release time and summer salary, to ensure compliance with CUNY and sponsor requirements for PIs at CUNY SPS.
The Office of Grants and Contracts and colleagues at the Research Foundation (RF) are available to support PIs throughout the proposal and post-award process.