Frequently Asked Questions
Enhanced Research Appointment Program
Pilot Year 4
March 2026
FAQ Sections (see below)
- Program Questions (Q1-Q8)
- Eligibility Questions (Q9-Q16)
- Application and Processing Questions (Q17-Q22)
- Other Questions (Q23-Q29)
1. Program and Process Questions
Q1. What is this year's program deadline?
A1. For the pilot program the deadline is May 31, 2026.
Q2. Where do I submit my application?
A2. Applications should be emailed to FERAPapplication@purdue.edu before 12:00pm on May 31, 2026.
Q3. Can I request an extension to the application deadline?
A3. No, all applications must be submitted by the deadlines referenced in the program details.
Q4. How will I be notified if my application is approved?
A4. Once the application is reviewed by the Business Office of the primary appointment and Sponsored Program Services it will be routed for final approval and include signatures of the individual requestor, fiscal officers, department head, dean, sps, and provost. These will be routed via DocuSign or other electronic signature application. Once all signatures have been obtained a fully executed copy will be returned to you and the Executive Office Business Operation Center (EOBOC), Business Office, Dean, Sponsored Program Services, Provost, and Payroll office for processing.
Q5. If I have general questions, where do I submit them?
A5. Consultation with your business office and/or SPS account manager is encouraged however, the following email hotline has been established for this program. Email questions to FERAPquestion@purdue.edu.
Q6. What is meant by pilot?
A6. Since this program is new and in the pilot phase, the eligibility, program parameters, review criteria, processes and procedures are being tested and evaluated. The University reserves the right to change these criteria and program parameters or discontinue the program for future years. Feedback is encouraged. Please submit your questions or comments to FERAPquestion@purdue.edu.
Q7. When will the concurrent appointment begin and the enhanced compensation start?
A7. For the pilot year 1:
August 14, 2023 for AY Tenured or Tenure-Track Faculty paid August 31, 2023. August 1, 2023 for FY Tenured or Tenure-Track Faculty paid August 31, 2023.
For the pilot year 2:
August 12, 2024 for AY Faculty paid August 31, 2024. July 1, 2024 for FY paid July 31, 2024.
For the pilot year 3:
August 18, 2025 for AY Faculty paid August 31, 2025. July 1, 2025 for FY paid July 31, 2025.
For the pilot year 4:
August 17, 2026 for AY Faculty paid August 31, 2025. July 1, 2026 for FY paid July 31, 2025.
Q8. If I am approved for an AY base salary enhancement, do I have to enhance my base salary in the summer?
A8. No, the appointment and approved enhanced base salary must apply for the entire approved FY or AY but it is your choice whether to apply it to the summer session following the approved AY. This will be reviewed when summer payroll calendars are completed.
2. Eligibility Questions
Q9. Are research faculty or clinical track faculty eligible to apply for this program?
A9. Clinical Faculty were not eligible in year 1 of this program but have been added to the pilot program for year 2. Research Faculty are still not eligible to participate, as the expectation of these positions already is to be fully funded from external grants.
Q10. Are staff level positions eligible to participate in this program if they have been granted specific approval to serve as Principal Investigators on grants?
A10. No, the pilot program is designed only for Tenured and Tenure-Track and Clinical faculty.
Q11. What are the approved funding sources?
A11. To qualify funding must be external(*) and come from one of these sources and must be allowable by the sponsor:
- Federal grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts (See separate instructions below (*) when the individual is subject to a salary cap set by NIH other agencies or programs)
- State grants or contracts
- Industry or for-profit company contracts
- Foundation or other non-profit awards
- Foreign industry or Foreign Government contracts
- Other externally funded grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts
To be approved it also must not be restricted by the sponsor and have available funds.
Funding may come from any combination of permissible external funds, but not from sources, including:
- Federal appropriations
- State-appropriated funds (general funds and State line items)
- Cost sharing on external funding commitments(*)
- Recharge Center funding
- Gifts and Voluntary support
- Discretionary funds
- residual funds
- departmental allocations including start-up funds
- distinguished/named professorship allocations
- or other discretionary or gift funds
*Individuals subject to the NIH or other agency or program salary cap will be eligible to apply and participate in the FERAP program.
However, careful consideration should be given to review the overall financial impact resulting from additional mandatory cost share obligations, and other costs of participation including replacement instructional costs for teaching release.
In order to participate in FERAP, the cost to the department, school, and college should be at least net neutral or better. This can be achieved through the following:
- additional department salary savings generated through the FTE charged to external grants and contracts and/or
- covered by the participants discretionary funds in this order of priority: residual funds, voluntary support, research incentive funds, and distinguished/named faculty funding; excluding faculty start-up
Q12. What is meant by awarded and in hand related to eligible funding sources?
A12. Awards must be active in awarded status with project periods covering the FY or AY being requested. Awards with expected future increments will be considered eligible if the award is in good standing and progress reports are up to date. Awards on NTP are not eligible for consideration for the enhanced research appointment. If the award becomes active during the approved period and affects the cost distribution of the enhanced research appointment, those changes should be communicated to appropriate business officer and SPS account manager for review prior to the PAR or effort reporting certification. If deemed eligible, then the cost distribution of the enhanced research appointment may include this new external funding source. Otherwise, the effort spent on this funding source should be cost distributed and certified on the base appointment.
Q13. If a tenured or tenure-track or clinical faculty member is approved for 25% base salary enhancement starting in August, and then receives a new sponsored project in December, can he/she revise the application form mid-year to increase the level of FTE of my enhanced research appointment?
A13. No, the FTE for the enhanced research appointment approved at the beginning of the FY or AY will be in place for an entire year. No changes will be permitted unless required to adjust downward or cancel due to inability to meet effort reporting required and becomes a compliance issue. If the new award affects the cost distribution of the enhanced research appointment, those changes should be communicated to the appropriate business officer and SPS account manager for review prior to the PAR or effort reporting certification. If deemed eligible, then the cost distribution of the enhanced research appointment may include the new external funding source. Otherwise, the effort spent on the new funding source should be cost distributed and certified on an appointment that is at the unenhanced base salary.
Q14. Can I use my cost sharing funds for the appointment and enhanced base salary?
A14. No, cost sharing funds are not an eligible source of funding for the enhanced salary component. There is an exception for cost sharing on NIH grants for individuals subject to the salary cap. See the answer to Question #11 for additional details.
Q15. How will participation in this program affect faculty release time?
A15. All decisions regarding faculty release time for effort spent on sponsored projects should be made in consultation with the department head(s) and/or unit leadership during the application process. All applications are subject to the approval of the department head, dean and provost.
Q16. Will this affect overload eligibility?
A16. No, participation in the enhanced research appointment program will not prohibit a faculty member from being eligible for overload compensation. Any approved overload compensation should be calculated using the current institutional base salary.
3. Application and Processing Questions
Q17. Where do I locate my person ID needed for the application?
A17. In Success Factors utilizing the Employee Launchpad Applications you can review your personal information by clicking on My Profile. Your person ID is under Biographical Information.
Q18. Where do I locate the PERNR of my current appointment?
A18. You can contact your business office to get your PERNR. It is in Success Factors utilizing the Employee Launchpad Applications. You can review your personal information by clicking on My Profile. Your current PERNR is under Basic Information. Note: if you have a concurrent appointment then you will need to toggle between the positions to locate the correct PERNR which is called your UserID on this screen.
The PERNR for the new concurrent appointment covering the enhanced research appointment will be assigned and added to your profile after the approval occurs.
Q19. How do I know if my grants can afford to cover the enhanced research appointment and the enhanced base salary?
A19. It is highly encouraged that faculty consult with their business office staff to review updated financial balances and future projections to determine if sufficient funding exists for the enhanced base salary, along with corresponding fringe benefits and indirect cost rates. These reviews will be conducted for each application. Applications for eligibility in the FERAP program are expected to result in a net neutral or better financial impact to the department/college. A high degree of collaboration between business offices and department heads should be expected to ensure common understanding of overall impact, including replacement instructional costs for teaching release. If funding levels are questionable it is encouraged to discuss these with your business office prior to submission of an application.
Q20. Does my approval application carry over to the next FY or AY or do I have to submit an application each year?
A20. An approved application is only eligible for one FY or AY. An application must be filed and approved each year.
Q21. How does the evaluation and assessment of the application work?
A21. To ensure external funding sources are not restricted, adequate funding is available, and the individual requestor qualifies under the program criteria, all applications will be evaluated by Sponsored Program Services and the academic department business office staff. In addition, department heads, deans and provost will assess the applications to determine the appropriateness of the request related to the faculty member's other academic responsibilities within the department, proposed funding lines utilized or redistributed for the salary enhancement, and to ensure the spirit of the program to recognize exceptional efforts toward the research mission is maintained.
Q22. Do I have to get a business office review and department head and dean approval before I submit my application?
A22. No, these reviews can come after the submission of an application. It is highly recommended that interested faculty consult with their department business office or SPS account manager, prior to submission, if there are questions as to availability of funding or qualified sources. It is also advised to consult with your department head, prior to submission, if there are questions about program eligibility, departmental responsibilities that could be impacted due to participation in the program, or if the utilization of external funding could have an impact on graduate student or other personnel lines, or other planned activities.
4. Other Questions
Q23. If salary or fringe benefit costs associated with the enhanced base salary are deemed unallowable or not reimbursed by a specific sponsor, how will the disallowed costs be covered? Will the individual faculty be expected to re-pay the salary?
A23. Salary deemed unallowable or un-reimbursable by a sponsor will be the financial responsibility of the employing department(s) which may come from the faculty member's allocation(s). Faculty will not be asked to re-pay any salary received under this pilot program. Disallowances could impact individual's future year eligibility to participate in the program.
Q24. How and when will new proposal budgets be prepared to appropriately estimate costs associated with the base salary enhancement program?
A24. With the approval of this program, faculty who are or anticipate participating in the program in subsequent years will be eligible to submit proposals with their FY and AY salary budgeted at the higher anticipated enhanced institutional base salary level. This will allow the budgets to be requested anticipating their participation. If the funds are not used for the program they can be utilized or re-budgeted as sponsors allow to other lines within the project budget (subject to the specific award conditions and sponsor requirements).
Q25. Will faculty merit increases be determined on the base salary amount or the enhanced salary amount?
A25. Annual merit increases will be calculated on the current base salary of the faculty member.
Q26. Will my base salary listed on my application be adjusted to include the merit increase July 1 if my participation in the program is approved?
A26. Yes, merit and promotion if applicable will be included.
Q27. How do I know if my grants are restricted from paying the enhanced institutional base salary?
A27. Sponsored Program Services staff will be involved in the review of applications to determine if specific sponsor funding restrictions should be considered. The most common restriction is the NIH or other agency salary caps (limits), specific line-item restrictions, or restrictions imposed on the level of expenditures per budget category. In some situations, a revised budget may need to be requested from the sponsor due to increased spending in the salary and wage budget category. See the answer to Question #11 for additional details.
Q28. How do I verify that I received my enhanced pay?
A28. Approval to participate in the program will be communicated when the application is fully approved. Enhanced pay can be verified in success factors by reviewing your pay statement.
Q29. Does a faculty member need to maintain a minimum percentage of their FTE in a non-FERAP appointment?
A29. The maximum eligible FERAP appointment is .75 FTE. This ensures have .25 FTE available for other non-research activity. If a Faculty member has an appointment in multiple Purdue company codes (Purdue. PARI, PII, etc.) they must maintain a minimum 5% non-FERAP appointment for each entity (company code) they have a position in. This non-FERAP appointment will cover any non-sponsored activity associated with their position. (ex. if a professor holds a PARI appointment and a Purdue appointment and wishes to add a FERAP appointment to both entities/companies, there will be a minimum of 4 positions, two non-FERAP positions one in each company and two FERAP appointments one in each company).
