Approval Process

Submit the sponsored proposal as usual to your School’s sponsored program office. That office and the University’s Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) will conduct initial review.

Together, these offices will determine whether your project meets the criteria for additional review by your School or by the University. Your School’s sponsored programs office will elevate it to University-level review if so.

OSP Proposal Guidance

If your proposal is not submitted to an office of sponsored programs, then you should:

1. Determine whether your program meets the criteria for Provost’s review. If so, follow instructions on that page for submitting the proposal for review.
2. Determine whether your proposal meets the criteria for review by the University Committee on International Projects and Sites (UCIPS).

Programs are reviewed for their academic value, feasibility, sustainability, and consistency with the University’s mission of teaching and research. By design, this review occurs before many administrative details are worked out. The Assistant Provost for International Affairs can advise on the review process and criteria for international projects.

In most cases, you’ll already have a written proposal for your project, whether for a sponsor, a donor, or a collaborating institution. This proposal will likely be sufficient for Provost’s review or UCIPS review. If you don’t have a proposal already, review our general outline.

Outline for Preparing a Proposal

Schools may have additional approval processes, so you’ll need to consult with your School’s Research Administration Office, Finance Office, or Dean’s Office, as applicable, about your specific School-based review requirements.

This is particularly important if your project requires UCIPS review, as some Schools have formed committees to review international programs meeting certain criteria; alternatively they may have more informal processes for other programs.

International projects involving human subjects will require IRB review at Harvard and may also require review by a foreign IRB in the project’s host country. The Office of the Vice Provost for Research can help navigate these requirements.

The transfer of human subject research data or human subject samples across borders may also trigger criteria for an export license. Review our export and import controls information before shipping or hand-carrying items across borders.

Cambridge & Allston campuses IRB

Longwood IRB

Export & Import Controls

You may also need additional approvals for certain activities, like to lease real estate or to register to conduct business. Following approval, you should conduct further due diligence on the following activities, as applicable:

• Contracts & agreements
• Employment
• Exports & imports
• IT and data security
• Outbound immigration
• Personal safety & security
• U.S. laws that apply abroad