I agree with the other list-servers...
I wouldn't touch this with a 10 ft pole....

When heavily involved in clinical programs supported with federal funds,
ANY time there was a "visit" of any kind, we could not even offer them a
sandwich from a general platter without  the fed having to pay for her/his
share and have a receipt to prove it...

ERIN C. DAVIS
Office of Research, Room C-345
Wadsworth Center, NYS DOH
Empire State Plaza, Corning Tower
P.O. Box 509
Loading Dock J (courier only)
Albany, NY  12201-0509

(518) 474-6602 (phone)
(518) 402-5540 (fax)

 "Hahn, Janet M"
 <xxxxxx@RADFORD.ED
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 ORG>                      [RESADM-L] off-federal time visit

 02/08/2006 06:01
 PM

 Please respond to
 Research
 Administration
 Discussion List
 <xxxxxx@HRINET.
 ORG>

I thought I knew that federal program officers only come to a campus on
federal travel funds to avoid conflicts of interest, lobbying issues, etc.

Today a PI said that the department would love to show the program officer
what they have done with their instructional/service grant, but in speaking
with the program officer, they have learned that if he comes to campus on
federal money, he must conduct a site visit.  While the PIs are delighted
to show off the project, they would rather not deal with a site visit,
perhaps because they people usual equate them with voluntarily submitting
to surgery and perhaps because they will be in the midst of hosting a
conference.

According to the PI, the program officer is interested in visiting/getting
out of DC, but if he is not conducting a site visit, he would do it on his
annual leave and believes that it would be best if we paid for everything.
He feels that if he gets reimbursed, it may be perceived as a bribe.

I have NEVER known a program officer who was willing to have us to pay for
anything (other than perhaps meals) and this makes me exceedingly
suspicious.  Before I tell the PI, “absolutely forbidden,” I thought I’d
ask if ANYONE has agreed to such a situation.

So the question is, have you ever had a current federal agency program
officer visit your campus and university funds paid for any of the
following?
 -          car rental
 -          airplane ticket
 -          campus or off-campus lodgings at a rate below the federal
 travel reimbursement level
 -          food
 -          speaking fee?  Not mentioned by the PI, but I figured I’d
 through that in, too.

(Of course, my reaction was to wonder why a university would be willing to
spend money for this and could come up with no legal answer).

Janet
 *****
Janet M. Hahn, C.R.A
Exec Dir, Sponsored Programs & Grants Management
Radford University
Radford, VA  24142-6926

tel:  540-831-5479
fax: 540-831-6636
xxxxxx@radford.edu

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