Policies & Compliance

The following Statement of Principal Investigator Eligibility provides institutional requirements for individuals who may serve as a PI on an externally sponsored project at Elon. Exceptions to this policy may only be made with the prior approval of the Provost’s Office.

Administered internally, the Elon University Internal Audit Office is a resource that allows all Elon University faculty and staff to report workplace concerns dealing with moral, legal, and ethical standards in financial integrity or compliance.

Grants with indirect costs requested will be allocated to the project director(s), dean(s), and department chairs(s) as outlined in the Policy for Sharing Indirect Cost Returns.

The Institutional Review Board assesses the risks and potential benefits of the research investigation, ascertains the appropriateness of the methods used to gain participant consent, and protects the rights and welfare of human participants.

The Elon University Intellectual Property Policy describes Elon University’s commitment to providing an environment that supports the creation of intellectual property by faculty, staff, and students in the course of their research, teaching, and learning activities. As a matter of principle and practice, the University encourages all members of the Elon community to publish without restriction the outcome of these activities in order to share openly and fully their findings and knowledge with colleagues and the public.

Elon University Conflicts of Interest describes Elon University’s policies regarding conflicts of interest in relation to sponsored projects. These policies ensure faculty and staff maintain credibility and integrity, preserving public trust in the university’s sponsored activities. These policies also meet certification requirements for funding agencies such as the NSF and PHS. If a conflict of interest arises, you must complete and submit the Disclosure Form and Questionnaire within 30 days to the Office of Sponsored Programs.

outlines a plan to comply with the America COMPETES Act, which requires institutions to provide training and oversight on ethical research practices for students and researchers involved in NSF and NIH funded research projects submitted after January 4, 2010. PIs should identify students hired for these projects, notify the Office of Sponsored Programs within a week, ensure they complete Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training, and submit the completed RCRT form within 60 days of employment.

Misconduct in Scientific Research describes Elon University’s policy and procedures related to misconduct in scientific research. The purpose of this policy is to promote academic practices that prevent misconduct in research and to maintain standards to ensure ethical conduct of research and detection including appropriate handling of abuse of these standards. This policy is also the basis for specific certifications required by various federal agencies from those seeking external grant support.

The Subrecipient Monitoring Guide outlines how to assess whether subrecipients can properly handle federal funds. Elon University must comply with the requirements of OMB federal regulation 2 CFR part 200, as well as with university policies and sponsor requirements. As the Prime Recipient, the University remains responsible for the management of funds and must comply with subrecipient monitoring requirements.

It is important that all persons involved in sponsored research/grants at Elon understand the Regulations and Implementation Requirements. Exports are regulated by several federal agencies. While the conduct, products, and results of fundamental research are generally excluded from federal export or “deemed export” controls, there may be some activities that would not be excluded and would require an export license. These laws impact research, foreign travel and the transfer of technology and information to certain countries. The laws also impose severe criminal and civil fines for noncompliance.

The grant record retention policy follows the Record Retention Policy under Elon University’s Office of Business, Finance & Technology. The policy states the retention period is the term of the grant award plus 7 years. The award letter should be used to determine the end date of the term of the grant.

Student stipends are no longer permitted as grant expenses. Students are eligible to work up to 20 hours per week when classes are in session. Students must be paid hourly rates on grants via a work agreement.

Gift cards purchased with external funds must meet AAR. A log tracking the serial number of the card, the participant ID and the date and visit number the participant received the gift card. If the total participation incentive is greater than $75 total over the full study a social security number will be required for payment.

To advance science and improve human health, NIH makes the peer-reviewed articles it funds publicly available on PubMed Central. The NIH Public Access Policy requires scientists to submit final peer-reviewed journal manuscripts that arise from NIH funds to PubMed Central immediately upon acceptance for publication.

The library is available to help you across the entire research and publishing lifecycle. If you are getting started on a project, the library can help with topic development, finding and reviewing literature (including enhanced reviews like systematic reviews and meta-analyses), and reference management. When you’re ready to publish, we can help identify potential venues for your work, understand author rights and open publishing, and navigate APCs with our transformative agreements. Once your work is published, the library can enhance your research impact measurement and visualization projects, among many more services and tools for faculty, staff, and students.

Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards

NIH Grants Policy and Guidance

USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, General Terms and Conditions

NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide

NEH Policies, Forms, and Information

Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration

CDC Biosafety Manual for Laboratories

US Environmental Protection Agency

US Nuclear Regulatory Commission

NC Department of Labor and NC OSHA