How are “Principal Investigators/Project Directors and Key Personnel” defined for the purpose of Time and Effort Certification?
Principal Investigators/Project Directors and ‘key personnel’ are individuals whose effort is absolutely essential to the success of the proposed activity, either because of their critical leadership position within the proposal (and consequently their intellectual guidance) or because of the uniqueness of the expertise they are contributing relative to the proposed scope of activity. ‘Key personnel’ may also include research scientists, principal scientists and senior scientists depending on their intellectual contribution to the proposed scope of activity. Typically, replacement of any of these individuals requires approval from the sponsor. Importantly, the status of Principal Investigator/Project Director and ‘key personnel’ does not necessary imply that they receive salary support from the external sponsor.
Related Questions
- Are foreign scientists working at domestic institutions eligible to be Principal Investigators, Key Personnel, and/or other personnel supported by an ARRA Grant?
- Do all the Project Directors/Principal Investigators (PD/PIs) on a multiple PI SBIR grant have to meet the SBIR primary employment requirement?
- May a proposal list multiple principal investigators or project directors?
