Allegheny College Policy for Management of Data Obtained from Extramurally Sponsored Research

Introduction: Allegheny College seeks to ensure that information acquired from extramurally-sponsored research is maintained in a manner that promotes accountability to the sponsoring agency. Being a predominantly teaching institution, most grants at Allegheny College are obtained to improve physical facilities, enhance the curriculum, and improve the learning environment. Grants are also obtained for institutional and faculty research. Private or government sources that provide funds may require that data, obtained by funded activities, be made available to the funding source or to the public. This policy provides guidelines to ensure that data obtained during the course of sponsored research will be carefully maintained and will be made available in a manner commensurate with the mandates of the funding source.

Types of data: Listed below are types of information generally acquired from the primary categories of sponsored research conducted at Allegheny College:

  • Facilities grants. These grants are generally meant to improve the physical facilities of campus buildings. Data collected from these types of grants may include, but are not limited to, numbers of classrooms or facilities constructed/refurbished, numbers of classes impacted, numbers of students affected, and impact upon the curriculum.
  • Curricular development grants. These grants may include activities meant to improve individual courses, faculty expertise and development, the college curriculum, and instrumentation for student use. Data collected from these grants may include course content, computer-based course modules, expertise or training gained by faculty, instrumentation or equipment purchased for course use, and numbers of students and courses affected by the grant.
  • Research grants to faculty members. These grants produce information and data, usually for publication. Data produced by research are usually included in reports to funding agencies, and in professional reports or publications.

Data management protocol: The following data management protocol will be followed for all grants for which Allegheny College is responsible.

  1. Grant Management by Principal Investigator (PI) or Project Director (PD). Upon acceptance of a grant, the principal investigator (PI) or project director (PD) will inform the Office of Foundation & Corporate Relations of progress reports, final reports, budgets, and any specific data management procedures required by the funding source during the life of the grant. The Office of Foundation & Corporate Relations and the PI/PD will complete the Date Management Checklist(hereinafter referred to as the “checklist,” see attached) upon acceptance of the grant, and will update it as required. The PI/PD will also inform the business office of equipment purchases needing to be inventoried.
  2. Grant Management by the Office of Foundation & Corporate Relations. The Office of Foundation & Corporate Relations will maintain copies of all major documentation relevant to a grant. This will include the proposal, letters of acceptance or decline, copies of progress reports, account numbers used by the accounting office for the grant in question, and budgets. The Office of Foundation & Corporate Relations will also maintain copies of completed and updated checklists, will maintain a list of active grants, and will review these checklists as required to ensure that PIs/PDs submit required reports as needed by the funding source.
  3. Data Management. It will be the responsibility of the PI/PD to ensure that information or data necessary to document the grant will be maintained in a manner and in a location such that progress reports and publications can be efficiently produced, and can be reviewed by the Office of Foundation & Corporate Relations and the granting agency or individual as needed. Data will be maintained by the PI/PD, and the location of this information will be detailed on the checklist.
  4. Public Access. Due to the public nature of research funded by government agencies, PIs/PDs must provide publicly funded data to the public, if so required by the funding agency, within a reasonable period. Unless otherwise stipulated by the funding source, principal investigators will have first access to data collected during a grant for the period when funding is in effect, and for a period of two calendar years after a grant expires. After this period, unpublished data must be made available to individuals requesting these data. Requests for these data must be granted within six months of the request, with paper or computer copying requests paid for in advance by the requesting individual. Additional requirements by the granting agency pursuant to data-sharing policies must also be followed.
  5. Transferral of PI/PD Responsibility. In the event that a PI/PD leaves Allegheny before a grant expires, and if there is no provision by the granting agency to allow the grant to leave with the PI/PD, then the PI/PD must make arrangements, in consultation with the Office of Foundation & Corporate Relations and granting agency, to see that a new PI/PD is selected and that the locations of all equipment, information, and data are made known to the new PI/PD. Such changes will be noted on the checklist.

Questions on Policy of Data Management. Questions regarding this policy will be handled jointly by the PI/PD, the Office of Foundation & Corporate Relations and the Provost and Dean of the College.