Administrative Procedure 12.207 Administrative Procedure 12.207

Interim Procedure: Research Personnel at the University of Hawaii

Administrative Procedure Chapter 12, Research
Administrative Procedure AP 12.207, Research Personnel at the University of Hawai‘i
Effective Date:  March 2026
Prior Dates Amended:  N/A
Responsible Office: Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation
Governing Board and/or Executive Policy: Chapter 12, EP 12.102, Authority to Sign and Execute Extramural Research and Training Contracts/Grants, Agreements and Contract Assignments and Releases
Review Date:  March 2029

To establish policies and procedures to ensure that establishment of research personnel positions, whose work directly supports the research and training mission of the university, is consistent with the intent and purposes set forth in §304A-3001 to 3011, HRS, as amended, and in accordance with AP 12.203, Service Orders to the Research Corporation of the University of Hawai‘i (RCUH), and provisions of the Internal Agreement with RCUH.

1. Shipboard personnel: individuals hired to perform work as members of a crew of an ocean-going research vessel or perform scientific research onboard or from a research vessel.


2. Telescope personnel: individuals hired to provide research support or technical work through a funded project related to telescopes.


3. Out-of-state personnel: individuals whose worksite is outside the boundaries of the State of Hawai‘i, and most if not all work is performed outside of the State.


4. Personnel required to possess active clearance to participate in classified research: individuals required to obtain a U.S. government security clearance to perform their duties.


5. Part-time intermittent personnel: individuals who are hired on a part-time basis related to established research projects and perform work on an as-needed, intermittent basis.


6. Project employees of RCUH: individuals hired at RCUH on behalf of the University. RCUH employees hired before March 1, 2026 shall not be required to convert to a University position, though approved limited-term RCUH positions will be subject to the timelines of the approved limited term.


7. Covered-type position: an RCUH-classified position that would otherwise be subject to collective bargaining under the University’s classification system.

1. Objectives
   To establish guidelines and procedures for requesting the establishment of temporary, covered-type, extramurally funded professional and technical research personnel positions at RCUH.


2. Applicability
   These guidelines and procedures apply to University of Hawai‘i Principal Investigators (PIs) seeking to hire research personnel positions for grant-funded projects that are temporary in nature, Fiscal Administrators (FA) who manage RCUH personnel costs, the UH System Office of Human Resources (OHR) and the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation (OVPRI).


3. Guidelines
   All civil service positions at the University included in bargaining units 1, 2, 3, 4, 9 and 10, and non-civil service positions such as faculty members and administrative, professional and technical (APT) staff in bargaining units 7 and 8 respectively, shall be hired through the University’s or State of Hawai‘i’s human resource systems, unless specifically exempted by statute from the State’s civil service law.
   The University of Hawai‘i shall limit the establishment of positions, and the hiring of RCUH temporary, non-administrative, extramurally funded professional and technical personnel engaged in direct support of research or training projects to no more than one (1) year except for:
   
   1. Shipboard personnel.
   
   
   2. Telescope personnel.
   
   
   3. Personnel hired for work out-of-state.
   
   
   4. Personnel required to possess active clearance to participate in classified research.
   
   
   5. Part-time intermittent personnel.
   
   
   6. Projects exempted from this administrative procedure upon approval of the VPRI because of the unique personnel requirements of their granting agencies.
   
   
   7. Postdoctoral Scholars hired at RCUH in accordance with EP 12.227.
   
   Seeking the approval of a successive series of one (1) year exceptions for replacement positions is prohibited.


4. Procedures – Establishing positions at RCUH and Hiring RCUH Employees
   
   1. Any University request to establish and recruit a regular status RCUH position shall be accompanied by a Position Request Form (https://www.rcuh.com), which must be reviewed and approved by the OHR before it is sent to OVPRI for final institutional approval.
   
   
   2. Position requests determined by the OHR and the OVPRI to be covered-type positions, or positions otherwise covered by state collective bargaining, shall be limited to no more than a one-year appointment.
   
   
   3. The RCUH shall not establish any covered-type of position unless it has been specifically approved by the OHR and the OVPRI.
   
   
   4. Any covered-type position that is continuously filled by an RCUH employee for one (1) year shall be subject to review and re-authorization by the OHR and the OVPRI.
   
   
   5. When an RCUH position becomes vacant and there is a request to continue the same or similar duties by a replacement position, a request to establish an RCUH position shall be submitted for review by the RCUH Position Request Form review process.
   
   
5. Procedures – Change of Source of Funding or Transfer of Funds and Replacement Positions
   
   1. RCUH employees who continue to perform the same duties with RCUH although there is a change in the source of funding or transfer of funds from rollover (i.e., the same grant extended from one fiscal year to the next) and not from a new grant or grants, shall not be considered a new or replacement hire and subject to an RCUH Position Request review process in conjunction with the change in the source of funding or transfer of funds.
   
   
   2. In the event that a RCUH employee should continue to perform the same duties, but from a new grant, i.e., other than a rollover grant, the position shall be submitted through RCUH Position Request Form. In addition, if an RCUH employee was approved as a part-time hire, but the FTE of the position changes to over 0.49 FTE, a new position request shall be submitted through an RCUH Position Request Form.
   
   
6. Responsibilities
   
   1. Via the Position Request Form, the PI shall define the duties, responsibilities, and qualifications of the requested position and clearly describe how the position meets the criteria as defined in Section C., Guidelines.
   
   
   2. The FA shall ensure funding is available to cover the personnel costs associated with the request.
   
   
   3. The OHR shall review the request in the context of covered-type position classifications within the University. Approval for covered-type positions will not exceed one (1) year, with no extensions.
   
   
   4. The OVPRI shall review the approval or non-concurrence of the OHR and take action as appropriate. Approval of both the OVPRI and the OHR is required for the request to move forward.
   
   
   5. The PI shall be responsible for the appointment, supervision, and termination of project personnel hired through RCUH. The PI may appeal negative determinations of their request to the OVPRI for consideration.
   
   
   6. The FA shall be responsible for monitoring the funding of approved research personnel at RCUH, and complying with the guidelines as set above.

There is no administrative procedure specific delegation of authority.

Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation, telephone number: (808) 956-5006, and email uhovpri@hawaii.edu may be contacted for information relating to this Administrative Procedure.

Link to superseded procedures: https://www.hawaii.edu/policy/archives/apm/

Attachment 1: How to Initiate a Recruitment Request with RCUH

    Interim Vice President for Research and Innovation