Salary and Effort

Information on applying salary and effort to research projects.

For General Information on Effort Reporting:

Visit the Effort Reporting page.

For Health Sciences Units:

Per UCOP policy, the leader of a sponsored project must commit measurable effort to a proposal to be considered a Principal Investigator.

"An essential qualification of the individual who proposes to head an extramurally supported research, training, or public service project is that he or she will personally participate in it to a significant degree. It is contrary to University policy and is viewed with extreme disfavor by sponsoring agencies, to list as head of a project the name of an individual, however prestigious that person may be, who will contribute only a minimum or nominal portion of their own time and effort to the furtherance of the work."

It is the department's responsibility to ensure the correct institutional base pay rates are used in proposal applications, budgeted increases are appropriate, and the correct NIH salary cap is used when applicable. The Sponsored Projects Office (SPO) is responsible for ensuring that the Health Sciences policy regarding commensurate salary for effort is budgeted as appropriate and a salary waiver is processed and approved as appropriate.

For the PI of a project, there is no minimum percentage of time that can be “donated” to a project without budgeted salary. Salary for effort is mandatory, unless:

• The funding agency does not allow PI salary;
• The PI holds an HHMI or Ludwig appointment and is not allowed to budget salary;
• The sponsoring agency (i.e. NIH, DOD, etc.) limits the annual award amount to less than $50,000; or
• A ​salary waiver request​ has been processed and approved by the SPO Director
  • Note: A Professor Emeritus can have up to 30% of effort without salary in a grant application without a salary waiver. This would not be considered cost-sharing.

For Faculty Co-investigators (Co-Is), Health Sciences allows up to 5% effort without salary, with the approval of the home department(s), although generally, it is to be discouraged. Greater than 5% “donated“ effort of a Co-Investigator requires SPO Director approval of a salary waiver request from the home department.

Donated effort that is greater than 5% is formal cost-sharing and must be reflected in the cost-sharing section of the RES or PD. If the proposal is funded, the value of this donated effort will need to be tracked and reported as cost-sharing to the sponsoring agency.

Investigators may not commit more than 97% of time and effort to funded projects, and faculty must leave sufficient time available for teaching, clinical, and administrative responsibilities. Additionally, the Federal Government has defined proposal writing as an administrative effort that may not be charged to grants. Care should be used in budgeting effort in competing applications to make sure proposed commitments are necessary to the project, does not overlap existing grants, and is doable in the event the proposal is funded.

A Professor Emeritus​ (RTAD appointment) may not exceed a maximum total of 43% effort. For more information, please see UC APM - 205 - Recall for Academic Appointees

NIH Policy allows a max of 100% (12 person-months) effort, whereas UC San Diego’s Policy only allows for a max of 97% effort (11.64 person-months) for PIs paid exclusively from federally funded awards.

• NIH & Other Support
• NIH GPS & Other Support
• UC San Diego Policy Statement on Percent Salary for Principal Investigators (PI) Paid Exclusively from Federal Awards
• Recall Guidelines