EMS Guidelines for Performing Sponsored Research During Sabbatical

1.  These Guidelines document the EMS college-level procedures associated with policy AC17 – Sabbatical Leave and the requirement for the Dean’s approval referenced in the Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs “Sabbatical Approvals” memorandum:
   “With your express approval and that of the appropriate funding agency, a salary may be supplemented by restricted funds from research contracts with the total amount not to exceed the salary the individual would normally have earned during the period of the sabbatical leave.”
2. EMS is required to accurately account for research effort performed while faculty members are on sabbatical, and to collect and maintain documentation to support future audit inquiries.  To facilitate this process, faculty members planning to continue performing research effort on sponsored awards during their sabbatical are requested to submit a Sabbatical Research Plan to the Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Research.  The Sabbatical Research Plan should be submitted to ADGER by May 1 prior to the Fall semester or academic year sabbatical period or November 1 for Spring semester sabbaticals to allow time for review and revision if needed prior to a sabbatical start.  Failure to submit a Sabbatical Research Plan in advance may jeopardize a faculty member’s eligibility to receive supplemental research salary during their sabbatical.
3. The Sabbatical Research Plan should include a list of all active sponsored awards for which the faculty member intends to perform research effort.  For each sponsored award, the faculty member should provide:
   1. SIMBA Grant and Sponsored Program numbers, sponsor, title, and period of performance of the award
   2. Faculty member’s role on the award (PI, Co-PI, etc.)
   3. Faculty member’s budgeted salary amount and associated percentage of effort on the award
   4. Description of research activities the faculty member will perform during the sabbatical period, including any travel that will be charged to the sponsored award
   5. If the faculty member’s planned percentage of effort during the sabbatical period is greater than the budgeted percentage of effort, the faculty member should provide justification for the increase, specifying the additional research activity to be performed and the added value it will provide to the sponsor
   6. IF you are the PI (not needed if you are a Co-PI), a copy of emails or other documentation verifying that the funding sponsor of the award has been notified of the sabbatical status of the faculty member and his/her intention to continue research effort during the sabbatical period
      1. NOTE: Sponsor APPROVAL of a faculty member’s sabbatical status or   research plan is NOT required and should NOT be requested
      2. Example notification language: “Dear <sponsor>, I will be on sabbatical during Fall semester 2023 and intend to continue performing research on the <title> award.  Effort to be performed during this period includes <provide detail on what research effort will be accomplished during the sabbatical period>.
      3. The typical sponsor response is, “thanks for letting me know”, although an actual response from the sponsor is not required
4. If a new sponsored award is executed during the sabbatical period and the faculty member intends to begin the research effort, an amendment to the Sabbatical Research Plan to include the new award information and sponsor notification documentation should be submitted prior to initiating supplemental salary distribution.
5. If the faculty member’s plans change during the sabbatical period, including any changes or additions to research-funded travel, an amendment to the Sabbatical Research Plan should be submitted prior to any salary distribution revision or travel expense reimbursement.
6. Faculty with sponsored research should inform their collaborators, PI, and/or other co-PIs that they are on sabbatical.
7. The EMS Research Office has developed a template for the Sabbatical Research Plan that faculty may use.  A copy of this template is available on the EMS Research Office website https://www.ems.psu.edu/sites/default/files/documents/faculty_staff/sabbatical_research_plan_template_final.xlsx 
    

Approved by EMS Executive Council on February 7, 2023
Added clarification about notification by PI – February 10, 2025