POLICY STATEMENT #34

Policy

The University encourages its faculty and Postdoctoral fellows to pursue external support for scholarly activities such as research, training activities, and faculty development projects. Such scholarly activities are beneficial to the University, its faculty and the community it serves. Faculty members are evaluated, as a part of their tenure track appointment, on their teaching performance, their university and professional service, and their research achievement. External support is an important component of their evaluation in the area of research achievement. In addition to expanding the institutional capability to participate in scholarly activities, it provides a significant resource for faculty to grow and develop as scholars. 

External support for research and other scholarly activities is generally provided through grants, contracts and cooperative agreements. The contractual nature of such agreements, the potential impact on University resources, inherent risks in certain types of research, and compliance with state and federal regulations necessitate a formal review process for grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements. University regulations require that such arrangements be reviewed and approved by the President of The University of North Carolina. The President has delegated to the Chancellor or the Chancellor's designee the authority to approve grant applications. The Chancellor has authorized the Vice Chancellor for Research and Federal Relations to approve grant and contract applications and agreements for UNC Charlotte.

Under a program to decentralize the handling of proposals, the Chancellor has also authorized College deans and certain other university officials to sign specific types of proposals. The list of people authorized to approve proposals is available in the Office of the University Attorney and the Office of Research Services. All proposals are reported to the Vice Chancellor for Research and Federal Relations, who maintains the official record of grant and contract activity and reports to The University of North Carolina Office of the President and the University community.

Applications requiring advance approval by the President:

1. Those under which The University or the institution assumes an expressed or implied responsibility to continue the program or activity beyond the life of the grant or to retain personnel initially employed under the grant, contract, or cooperative agreement.
2. Those involving the creation of a new organizational unit (a department, center, institute, school, etc.) within The University or a constituent institution.
3. Those involving the planning or establishment of a new degree program or program track.
4. Those requiring matched funds or contributions that cannot be provided from current institutional resource levels.

Procedure