This checklist summarises the duties of a principal investigator during a project. Some of the responsibilities outlined for the principal investigator also apply to a researcher working with personal funding.
Launching a research project
• Notifying the funder about receiving the funding in the schedule and manner required by the funder.
• Notifying the Registry on the funding decision: kirjaamo@uniarts.fi.
• Updating the project’s budget in accordance with the awarded funding and in the schedule required by the funder, with support from the financial services.
• Updating the research plan
• Reading the conditions and guidelines concerning the funding decision thoroughly and complying with them throughout the research project
• Taking care of contractual matters in accordance with Uniarts Helsinki’s guidelines with the legal services.
• Agreeing on authorship and rights of use
• Setting up a steering group and coordinating its meetings (consortium and ERC projects).
• Risk assessment for the research project, including impact assessment and data protection policies
Recruitment of employees
• Launching the recruitment of personnel for the project immediately after a favourable funding decision.
• Discussing details regarding the employment relationship (e.g. salary level, supervisor relations, employment contracts and rights of use) with the HR department before the launch of recruitment.
• In international contexts, always contact the HR team before communicating with possible researchers
• Submitting a proposal to the HR specialist of the site of research on hiring.
• Informing the recruited researcher’s supervisor about the researcher’s needs concerning facilities, equipment and software.
• The researcher’s supervisor takes care of ordering the work equipment for new employees and introducing them to their work, together with the principal investigator of the project if necessary
• Provided that hourly-paid work has been included in the budget of the project: discussing details concerning the recruitment of the employee with the HR specialist of the site of research in good time before the beginning of the work.
Agreeing on practical matters involving the project
Agreeing on regular meetings and division of work with the project manager / project coordinator of the project. Agreeing on project-related work methods and division of work (listed below) together with the parties of the research project / with the research group:
• schedules and objectives for the project
• researcher-related financial matters of the project and work time allocations
• principles of compiling the project materials (material that is stored, opened and archived during the project)
• compiling / updating a data management plan, principles for openness of research material and ownership of research material
• ethical review of the research design and acquiring research permissions if necessary.
• taking into account matters related to data protection and following guidelines, if the research deals with personal data
• risk management of the research project, including impact assessment
• agreeing on authorship, including co-authorship
• communications plan and persons-in-charge of communications
• publishing plan and principles of open publishing
Monitoring of working hours and the project’s finances
• After a favourable funding decision, filling in the project launch form with information on the project in collaboration with the financial services.
• Agreeing on financial practices and principles of budget monitoring with the project’s finance coordinator.
• Approving the researchers’ working time monitoring reports.
• Monitoring the project’s finances in accordance with the funder’s conditions and yearly funding as well as with the university’s guidelines and practices.
• Processing of travel and cost claims and purchase and sales invoices in accordance with the university’s normal practices.
• Following the procurement guidelines
• Guiding the research group in all day-to-day questions
• Regular monitoring of the project’s obligations
Reporting and completion of the project
• Reporting artistic activities and publications in the UniartsCRIS system on a yearly basis and in accordance with the university’s guidelines and schedules.
• Reporting on the project’s progress and results in accordance with the funder’s guidelines and schedules (final report and possible progress reports).
• Sending reports to the Registry: kirjaamo@uniarts.fi
• Relocating the material to Uniarts Helsinki’s Archive or other possible archives for archiving.
This is a checklist for a researcher who is working on a research project and who does not act as its principal investigator.
Funder’s guidelines
• Reading the funder’s conditions and guidelines thoroughly and complying with them throughout the research project.
Beginning of the project
• Notifying the supervisor on needs concerning facilities, equipment and software; if the work equipment you need is not part of the basic tools provided by the university and not budgeted for the project, discuss the necessary purchases with your supervisor and take data protection and security into consideration. Usually, private devices and applications do not adequately meet data protection and security requirements.
• New employees and visiting researchers within the university: getting to know the university’s internal guidelines and operational culture. The supervisor and the project’s PI are in charge of the work orientation, and there are also info sessions organised for new employees.
Working time reports and travelling
• Allocation (CATS system) of the working time of project researchers in accordance with the university’s guidelines.
• Compilation of travel plans and travel claims in accordance with Uniarts Helsinki’s travel policy and other guidelines. Travels and accommodation are booked through the university’s travel agency (CWT Travel Agency), unless otherwise agreed.
Practical matters involving a project
• Planning the research project’s data management.
• Ethical review of the research design and acquiring research permissions if necessary.
• If the research deals with personal data, taking into account matters related to data protection and following guidelines.
• Planning data management and updating the plan if necessary; principles regarding the openness of research material in a project; agreeing on the ownership of material.
• Signing a written agreement on co-authorship.
• Updating the publishing plan and principles of open publishing
• Publishing news about the research results in accordance with the agreed-upon principles.
• Committing to other principles, including regarding the division of work, that have been agreed on for the project.
• Timely consideration of project-associated agreements and copyrights
• Complying with Uniarts Helsinki’s Archival Records Management Plan
Reporting and completion of the project
• Reporting artistic activities and publications in the UniartsCRIS system on a yearly basis and in accordance with the university’s guidelines and timetables.
• Reporting on the project’s progress and results in accordance with what has been agreed with the project’s PI.
• Relocating the material to Uniarts Helsinki’s Archive or other possible archives for archiving and destroying other material in accordance with the data protection policies.