Bill - We have a "Research Associate" appointment procedure that we use in
such cases.  The policy is at http://www.apsu.edu/general/policy/5014.htm -
and is fairly straightforward.  Any special terms and conditions, such as
work on grants or eligibility to seek grants and/or serve as PI on a grant,
as well as all consequent responsibilities, are spelled out in the letter of
appointment generated by our VPAA.  These are generated on a case-by-case
basis, and I am brought into the deliberations whenever grant issues are
included in the appointment.   Normally, we would allow a Research Associate
no more than co-PI status, and have a regular employee (faculty or
otherwise) serve as PI.  Once there is compensation for the researcher
involved, the person would become a University employee or contractor and we
would have normal recourse under our employment contract or personal
services contract for any problems that might arise. Although this is only
slightly less ad-hoc that what you refer to, it has met our needs fairly
well so far.

Linda S. Freed
Office of Grants and Sponsored Programs
Austin Peay State University
P. O. Box 4517
Clarksville, TN  37044
voice:  931-221-7881; fax: 931-221-7304
e-mail:  xxxxxx@apsu.edu

> -----Original Message-----
> From: William Campbell [SMTP:xxxxxx@UWRF.EDU]
> Sent: Friday, February 04, 2000 10:02 AM
> To:   xxxxxx@HRINET.ORG
> Subject:      query, adjunct researchers
>
> RESADM-ers:
>
> Some years ago, my institution took on a local scientist who had an NIH
> grant in hand and needed an institutional home.  We overhauled a lab for
> him, put him and a couple of additional researchers on the payroll (using
> grant funds, of course), bought and installed some equipment and let him
> do his thing.  He brought in a lot of his own stuff as well, much of it
> scavenged from elsewhere.
>
> The project ended after five years--got some interesting results but no
> additional funding--and he went away.  But not completely.  He left behind
> all sorts of papers, equipment, and junk, some of which we finally
> pitched.  Now he's unhappy about the way we disposed of his stuff and is
> threatening to sue.  We'll work through this, but I've been wondering how
> we could have avoided the mess.
>
> So my question is, does anyone have a policy which governs such ad hoc
> relationships for adjunct researchers?  (I suppose if you have a policy
> then such relationships are no longer ad hoc at your institution.  They
> are ad hoc for us, though, that's part of our difficulty.)  Some
> boilerplate for an agreement, perhaps?  I understand that no agreement can
> ever handle every possible eventuality--who would have predicted that this
> guy would steal equipment from elsewhere, leave it behind, and then
> complain when we dispose of it?  Still, if we had something, a framework
> at least, on paper going into the relationship it would be easier to sever
> when it sours.
>
> Thanks and regards, Bill
>
> Bill Campbell
> Director, Grants & Research
> University of Wisconsin-River Falls
>
>
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