Research Volunteers

Downstate fully supports volunteers, both voluntary faculty and non-faculty volunteers.

In onboarding a non-faculty research volunteer, it is the departments' responsibility to provide a State account number where the background check will be charged. For voluntary faculty, the HR process remains the same; however, please complete the form below as part of the supplemental onboarding process.

The federal government has regulations in place surrounding research volunteers (regardless of whether they are faculty or non-faculty) and the following regulations must be met when submitting grant applications, proposals and progress reports.

Regulations

• Collaborations must be disclosed on Other Support and/or Biosketches, depending upon sponsor. NIH expects researchers—at a minimum—to disclose the in-kind support that visiting scientists provide as part of the “Other Support” portion of the grant application. Furthermore, NIH also requires prior approval of a foreign component if the visiting scientist will continue to perform any of the NIH grant work scope upon return to their home country.
• Visiting Scholars, Volunteers and/or Students are considered in-kind contributions if they are working on your research project and must be disclosed. 
• “Receipt of financial support or resources from a foreign entity” includes visiting scientists funded by foreign sources who are engaged in NIH work scope while collaborating with NIH-funded faculty in the U.S. are considered “participants” and must be reported to NIH. See RPPR instruction guide dated May 22, 2017, 6.4 Section D – Participants. These regulations apply to foreign involvement in any of the work scope, regardless of whether NIH funds are actually expended on directly pay for such involvement. Remuneration is NOT a factor when it comes to foreign influence.

The regulations also apply:

• To unfunded collaborations where a foreign entity or person performs work contributing to the NIH work scope, at no charge to the NIH grant (e.g., performing an analysis, animal study)

Onboard a Voluntary Researcher

Submit volunteer onboarding paperwork to the SVPR’s office at least 1 month in advance of the anticipated start date. Voluntary appointment requests + paperwork must be submitted by the PI or department administrator, and not by the volunteer. See below for steps, timeline, forms and SOP. For questions, please email Tirtha Ratnam in the Office of the SVPR.

Steps for onboarding

• Background check: all relevant information listed below must be included on the form.

• • • SSN
    • signed background check consent form
    • STATE account number

• Online Trainings to be completed (assigned in parallel)
  • Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) if volunteer will be working in a research lab on campus
  • Compliance (required)
  • CITI training (required)
    • RCR + Export Compliance
    • IRB (if doing human research)
• IACUC: If the volunteer is expected to work with animals, the SVPR office will process the ID request after completion of online training and hand over the process to IACUC. The IACUC will grant access to the animal facility after the volunteer has completed hands-on training.
• ID pickup: Once notified, the volunteer should go to the ID office (750 New York Ave., Corner of New York Ave. and Clarkson Ave.) between the hours of 8 AM-4 PM, M-F to pick up the ID.

Approximate timeline

Request form and detailed procedure

• Voluntary Researcher Request form
• SOP

Onboard a Voluntary Faculty

Voluntary Faculty Supplemental form and SOP