Research projects

A research project belongs to a program and names a principal investigator. Its protocol reference identifies the work, while start and end dates establish the research period. This connection lets the program team see which projects sit under each sponsored program without treating the project as a separate funding award.

• Confirm the identity. The Principal Investigator supplies the protocol reference and planned period for the project.
• Submit the project. The Program Officer checks the program and investigator links and looks for the same protocol reference before recording it.
• Follow the link. Outputs point to the project, which points to the funded program and its owner.

A Program Officer receives a proposed project for an active program. The officer checks the principal investigator record, protocol reference and planned period, then records the project against the program. Later outputs use that project link, so publications and datasets can be traced to the program through one stable research identity.

Agree the source of protocol references, how repeat identities are checked and who can correct a principal investigator after a project starts. Confirm the program that funds the project and the expected dates before opening the project record. Keep investigator identity in People so the same person can be associated with programs and assignments.

Plan the first operating cycle before using these records for reporting.

Use a pilot project with a real program and investigator. Follow the program owner, project period and protocol reference, then open an associated output. Entering the same protocol reference again should be treated as an exception for human review rather than a second project identity.

A project period can be shorter than its parent program period. Confirm both dates during intake so program reporting does not treat every output as if it came from the whole program window. The principal investigator link gives the research team a named person to contact about the protocol and results. If that person changes, review the People record and the project link before adding another output. This preserves the original project identity while keeping current responsibility clear. During intake, compare the new protocol reference with existing projects before the Program Officer submits it. The Principal Investigator can confirm the period and project identity, while the officer resolves the program link.

• Project schedule — Shows each protocol, investigator and project start and end date.
• My programs — Helps the Program Officer find owned programs before linking a project.

See the process and check the record model.