Research Policies and Procedures

Research Policies

POLICY ON CONSULTING, PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES AND RESEARCH SUPPORT FROM OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES

Increasingly, industry and government rely on university faculties for advice. Such practical contributions from higher education institutions to the nonacademic world have provided many faculty members the opportunity to use their knowledge and talents constructively, to strengthen their competence through a greater variety of professional experiences, to enhance the faculty member's and the University's scholarly reputation, and to serve the public interest.

Definition: A consultant is an individual hired to give professional advice or services for a fee. The use of paid consultants may be warranted when the project calls for expertise of a well-defined nature for a fixed period. Consultants are usually not employees of AUB and should be employed only for tasks where on-campus expertise does not exist or is not readily available. Consultants may be reimbursed for fees, travel, and/or subsistence costs. Some sponsors require prior approval for consultant use and, in some cases, restrict or limit the rate of reimbursement. Any such restrictions must be specified in the sponsor's guidelines or the award notice. Questions concerning the allowability of consultant use should be directed to OGC.

Faculty and staff who consult should remember that their primary employer is AUB and that they have a heightened responsibility to their primary employer when deciding whether to assign their inventions to AUB or to a company for whom they consult. If they have questions about the AUB policy on ownership, they should consult with their Department Chair, Dean, the Provost and/or the Office of Grants and Contracts.

"One-day-a-week" rule

Individuals who hold full-time academic appointments at AUB are expected to devote the bulk of their professional energies and time to fulfilling the mission of the University. However, AUB will generally grant full-time members of the Faculty the privilege of devoting an average of up to one day per week to their outside professional activities during the academic year and five days during the summer semester when they are receiving summer compensation (total of 37 days) provided such commitments do not interfere with University obligations. This privilege is not extended to research faculty members paid wholly from research grants or contracts.

Administration of the rule
The Department Chair and the Faculty Dean are responsible for ensuring compliance with this Policy and that no faculty member abuses this privilege. In particular, faculty involved in private income-producing activities shall not, for such purposes utilize University space or resources or the services of secretaries or other University staff. This Policy does not prohibit incidental use of personal office space, local telephone, library resources, and personal computer equipment.