Principal Investigator (PI) Training is required for faculty and staff members who wish to apply for funding, whether internal NMU awards or external awards. The training helps principal investigators and program directors learn about NMU’s institutional processes, practices, and tools for grant-making, including many that have recently changed. 

 

Fall 2024

Our next training will be on Friday, December 6th at 11am in 2810 The Science Building. To attend this training, please register HERE

  • Further training opportunities will be provided during the academic year.

  • If you have questions about PI Training, please check the FAQs below. If the FAQs don’t answer your question, please contact our office or any of our staff.

Q: What does PI stand for?

  • A: PI stands for Principal or Project Investigator, the lead personnel or researcher on a sponsored project.

Q: I already did PI Training  last year. Do I need to do it again?

  • A: No. PI Training started in fall of 2023. Anyone who has completed training, even if it was in the 2023-24 year, does not need to do it again.

Q: Do all NMU faculty need to complete the required PI Training?

  • A: No. The PI Training is only required of faculty before they apply for funding, whether for internal NMU awards or external opportunities. It ensures that the PI knows the process and support provided in the application process—it will make applications easier and more efficient for PIs.

Q: I have written several grant proposals at NMU in the past. Am I required to attend the training and why?

  • A: Yes. We have new staff we want to introduce and, more importantly, several new elements in the grant application process, such as GrantForward for searches and Cayuse for completing internal transmittal forms. It is important for new applicants to see the whole process but equally important for seasoned grant-writers to learn what is new at NMU for sponsored projects.

Q: Is this training required for all NMU awards, including sabbatical and release time?

  • A: No. PI Training is required only for faculty who apply for external funding or internal funding under the purview of the Office of Sponsored Programs, i.e., for applications that are evaluated by the Faculty Grants Committee. The internal funding includes Reassigned Time Awards, Faculty Research Grants, Curriculum Development and Instructional Improvement Grants, and the Peter White Scholar Program. Other internal applications, like those for sabbaticals, are not under the purview of the OSP and do not require PI Training.