Division of Research Offices > Contracts and Grants > Manage Awards

Personnel

All personnel involved in a sponsored project's effort, whether faculty, professional staff, clerical staff, or student (research assistant) must be paid in accordance with University guidelines. The salary and wage categories and job classifications for employees on sponsored project accounts are the same as those established for all other employees of the University. Salary rates and increments are therefore subject to the regulations applied to all other University employees.

Vacation and Sick Leave Accruals
If either full-time personnel or part-time continuing, benefits eligible personnel are employed on a grant or contract, they accrue vacation and sick leave time. Therefore, the grant or contract on which they are paid is responsible for payment of the accrued vacation at the time of the employee's termination. If the grant or contract does not have sufficient funds to pay the accrued vacation, it is the responsibility of the employing department to provide the necessary funding. It is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator to ensure that these employees accurately report their vacation time prior to the project's expiration.

As outlined in the Faculty Handbook (Revised, 17th Edition), it is the policy of the University of Houston that faculty members who accumulate vacation time as the result of appointments to contracts or grants at 100 percent FTE for a period of one year or more should utilize all vacation accumulations prior to returning to full-time instructional duties. It is the responsibility of the administrative department head to which the faculty member reports to see that the accumulated vacation time is used prior to the time the faculty member leaves the contract or grant. Department heads are encouraged to monitor accrued time closely and to encourage that vacation time is taken in a timely fashion. A faculty member whose appointment to a contract or grant is shared with a teaching appointment, or whose appointment covers only the summer session, does not accrue vacation.

Overtime and Payment in Excess of 100%
All University personnel must be paid through the University payroll system, even if they are considered as consultants. All personnel in non-exempt positions must be paid time-and-a-half for hours worked in excess of 40 hours per week. No exempt staff or faculty member may be hired to work on a grant or contract if that effort results in payment in excess of 100% FTE unless he/she has received the prior written approval of the sponsoring agency (when applicable), the chair of the department, the dean of the college, the college business manager, the Office of Contracts and Grants, and the Senior Vice President (see Appendix 10). All faculty or staff members must be paid in accordance with their normal salary rate at the University.