Baylor PI Newsletter - August 31, 2026
Revised Policies Related to Labor Costs Supported by Sponsored Projects
The OVPR-03 Policy for Sponsored Award Compensation Confirmation (Effort Certification) and OVPR-11 Policy for Externally Sponsored Labor Distribution have been revised, effective August 1, 2026, and are available on the OVPR website.
These revisions reflect a collaborative effort across University leadership to strengthen and clarify Baylor’s approach to effort certification and labor distribution. The updated policies establish clearer expectations, promote greater consistency in practice, and reinforce sound stewardship of sponsored funds. Together, they provide faculty, administrators, and research teams with a clearer framework for accurately and consistently managing sponsored project labor while supporting Baylor’s broader research enterprise.
Key revisions include the following actions:
Clarified the expectation that Labor Distributions (LDs) will generally be processed three times per year.
Established limitations on the date range for retroactive Labor Distributions.
Added guidance for summer salary charged to sponsored projects, including a limitation of 2.85 months of summer salary charged to sponsored projects.
Clarified the treatment of 0% effort.
Revised definitions to improve clarity and consistency.
Sponsored Projects and Supplemental Compensation
Sponsored funds can generally support an employee’s salary when the employee is performing work that directly benefits the sponsored project and the compensation is provided through Baylor’s established compensation processes. However, additional compensation, such as bonuses, incentives, or stipends, is not allowable on sponsored projects, consistent with Baylor’s Institutional Base Salary (IBS) Policy . In other words, sponsored funds may pay for a portion of an employee's Baylor salary attributable to project effort, but they may not be used to pay Baylor employees above their established compensation. If you have questions, your Pre-Award URA can help ensure salary costs are proposed appropriately and in accordance with Baylor policies. If there are any questions after an award is received and being managed, the PARA is always available to assist your Business Office.
Reminder - New IRB PI Eligibility Policy
A new policy establishing Principal Investigator (PI) eligibility requirements and responsibilities for individuals conducting human subjects research will become effective on September 1, 2026. It will apply to all IRB-regulated studies, including exempt, expedited, full board, and studies conducted under reliance agreements. It does not apply to projects determined to be non-human subject research. The policy limits PI eligibility to certain faculty/staff roles and provides a process for an exception request for those otherwise ineligible.
The policy’s purpose is to strengthen institutional accountability, reduce regulatory risk, ensure experienced oversight of human subject research, and support required continuity in recordkeeping, data management, and study closeout. Click here for more information.
OMB Proposed Changes to Uniform Guidance
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released proposed updates to the Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200). OMB received nearly 500,000 comments regarding the proposed changes and their potential impact on research institutions.
OVPR is closely monitoring the OMB review process and the potential implications for sponsored research administration. At this time, the proposed updates have not been finalized, and it is not yet known which changes, if any, will be incorporated into the final guidance or how those changes may be implemented.
When final changes are issued, OVPR will carefully review the updated requirements and communicate any impacts to the Baylor research community. We will provide additional guidance and resources as more information becomes available.
The current anticipated effective date for any approved updates is October 1, 2026, to align with the start of the government’s new federal fiscal year.
Policy for Budget Revisions to Sponsored Projects
The OVPR-20 Policy for Budget Revisions to Sponsored Projects has been updated to reflect recent process and regulatory changes. Updates include the removal of references to the Prior Approval Matrix to align with changes to 2 CFR Part 200, revisions to reflect Baylor's current post-award support model with Business Offices serving as the primary point of contact for Principal Investigators on budget revision requests, and formatting enhancements to improve readability and ease of navigation.
Upcoming Workshops
New to Baylor or New to Grant Writing Workshop:
Sept. 18 from 12:00-1:00 pm
This workshop will share tools available at Baylor for faculty writing grants (Templates, Guides, Grant Shell, Planner). Attendees will receive a copy of Baylor’s Grant Writing Handbook, learn how to get editing help, and how to schedule one-on-one consultations.
This workshop will be hosted in the BSB Room E201 and Teams.
Register here: https://baylor.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6r3Ivdg4MD4oD5Q
Finding Funding for STEM faculty and Early Career Grants:
October 16 from 12-1pm
Learn how to use Baylor resources to find grants for your research. Understand internal funding, Baylor-curated grant lists, and how to use Baylor-subscribed search engines. We will discuss Early Career grants available for tenure-track faculty in STEM.
This workshop will be held October 16th from 12-1 at BSB Room A201 and Teams
Register here: https://baylor.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bseOxDjL7X08zLo
ONE-URC Details Coming Soon
The Office of the Vice Provost for Research is currently evaluating the ONE-URC internal funding opportunities, timelines, and structure for the 2026-27 academic year. Details regarding updates and due dates will be available in mid-September on the OVPR website.
