I concur with a number of respondents in that PIs should not be "parties"
to the formal agreements of the institution.  We have, however, found it
helpful to have them "acknowledge" the terms of the agreement prior to
institutional signature.  We want to make sure that they are aware of all
the terms of the agreement, particularly the budget, scope of work, etc.
We typically add a sentence at the bottom of the last page of the
agreement that says, essentially, "I have read and understand the terms
of the agreement and agree to be bound them."  This acknowledgment
and the wording of the agreement as a whole clearly distinguishes that
this is an acknowledgment and not an official signatory.  Neither PIs nor
Legal have had problems with this approach.

Pete

Peter C. Koch
Director, Research Sponsored Programs
Children's Hospital Research Foundation
Children's Hospital Medical Center
3333 Burnet Avenue
Cincinnati, Ohio  45229-3039

Phone: (513) 636-4583
Fax:     (513) 636-8453
E-Mail: xxxxxx@chmcc.org