Administrative Requirements for Sponsored Programs

Administrative Requirements for Sponsored Programs

The following conditions must govern any research agreement entered into by the University and a sponsor in order for a favorable evaluation to be made. 

  • Open identification of sponsors and the actual sources of funding must be present in the agreement. Exception is made for anonymous sponsorship when, in the judgment of the VPRI, such a condition is not harmful to UNT or to the integrity of the research and is essential for the award to be given. 
  • Unrestricted dissemination of all findings and conclusions derived from the project must be an integral part of the agreement, except where the privacy of an individual is concerned. The University regards any infringement on complete access to research findings as detrimental to free inquiry. It therefore neither seeks nor accepts security clearance for itself or any administrative unit. The decision whether to seek clearance is an individual one to be made by each faculty member according to his or her judgment. Such decisions will not be influenced or judged in any way by UNT and must be made in each instance on the basis that the benefits of clearance balance its academic shortcomings. Exception may be granted by the VPRI for privileged information but only in the form of a delay in the release of such information. The delay will only on rare occasions exceed three months. 
  • The resources or data sources on which research is wholly dependent must be free of control by the sponsor. UNT views such control as incompatible with free inquiry and encourages acceptance of this condition only when no alternative source exists. Exception may be granted by the VPRI for projects which are conducted abroad and subject to the legal restraints of foreign governments and their agencies. 
  • No conditions may be attached to the gift, grant, or contract that would in any way jeopardize UNT’s commitment to the principle of nondiscrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual or affectional preference, age, religion, national or ethnic origin, or handicap. 
  • Academic appointments made with the support of gifts, grants, or contracts shall be made only in accord with established University procedures. A sponsor shall not ordinarily participate in the selection of persons to work on a project, and individuals employed by UNT shall not be excluded by a sponsor from participation in a project for any reason other than when necessary because of insufficient competence or when required to protect privileged information. 
  • No financial obligations by UNT in the present or any time in the future can be implied other than those stated in the contract. When uncertainty exists in his judgment, the VPRI or a designated member of the VPRI’s staff shall consult with appropriate officers of UNT to assure that this condition is met prior to the final approval of the agreement. 
  • UNT relies primarily on the discretion of its faculty to limit the commercial aspects of research sponsorship, such as advertising and publicity. Contracts must not allow the use of the University’s name for commercial purposes unless such use has been specifically approved by the President of the University. Agreements must not permit the names of University investigators to be exploited for advertising purposes or permit reprint distribution to be made part of a publicity campaign.