Updates & FYIs:
- VPN is no longer necessary to access the HSR portal – just your Harvard Key
- Departing postdocs are eligible to be research collaborator HSRs for up to six months, without a HSR form and via an administrative sponsor; after the initial six months, the full research collaborator process will be required
- As research collaborator HSRs carried over from the previous system expire, a full set of documents will be required if an extension or renewal is requested
- Existing data use agreements can substitute for a VPA in certain cases
A Harvard Sponsored Role (HSR) designation is the mechanism Harvard uses to grant access to physical and/or digital resources for a person who is not a Harvard employee nor a Harvard student and who does not hold an HMS academic appointment through a Harvard-affiliated hospital. HSR status is granted because Harvard has a legitimate and verified business need to support the activities of the HSR.
Effective July 15, 2021, all HSR requests must comply with the new Harvard HSR policy and all HSRs must be brought on board, renewed, or terminated using the new Harvard HSR portal.
Who can be a HSR:
An individual with a legitimate need for access to Harvard/Harvard Chan School space and/or digital resources for purposes that advance the University or School’s business mission(s), and who also meet the definition of one of the HSR role types defined in appendices A, B, or C of the Harvard University HSR policy (also found in HSR Role Types).
Individuals who hold an academic appointment through the Harvard Chan School (e.g., postdocs, lecturers, instructors, assistant and associate professors, and professors) should not be brought on board as HSRs. People who have a Harvard Chan academic appointment already have access to Harvard space and resources.
HSR sponsors and approvers
Each HSR must be sponsored and approved by authorized members of the Harvard Chan community. Sponsors must ensure that the HSRs they sponsor comply with the Harvard University HSR policy and all other applicable Harvard policies. Research Collaborator HSRs must be sponsored by the relevant PI.
Training
Sponsors, sponsor delegates, and local and central approvers MUST take a one-time training BEFORE they are able to sponsor or approve HSRs in the University HSR portal. Access the training here:
Some additional information was provided at a recent meeting hosted by staff from HUIT/IAM and SPH discussing the purposes of the new policy and the important process updates. Access the Zoom recording of that meeting here:
SPH HSR Overview meeting (MP4)
Quick HSR Guide For Sponsors in research collaborator HSR process (provided by Luis Hernandez in MET and NUT)
HSR role types
Harvard has identified 25 different assignable role types that describe/define the circumstances under which a person qualifies for a HSR role and can be granted access by the Harvard Chan School to a variety of time-bound physical and/or digital resources. It is important to match the type of access needed to the appropriate HSR role and to ensure that the HSR matches the criteria defined in the HSR policy for the HSR role.
Research Collaborators
In most Harvard schools and units if an individual is in a lab actively participating in research or is requesting access to otherwise inaccessible Harvard materials in conjunction with the ongoing work of a Principal Investigator, they should have a formal appointment rather than a HSR role. There are two exceptions to this:
- An industry collaborator (e.g., consultant/vendor) who will be collaborating on research pursuant to an IP agreement between Harvard and the outside vendor that has been approved in place of the standard Visitor Participation Agreement and Acknowledgement of Risk and Release of Claims documents.
- A research collaborator in a school or unit that supports centralized approval of Research Collaborator HSR roles.
The Research Collaborator HSR role type will only be available for selection in schools and units where centralized approval is supported. Research Collaborators are expected to have paid employment outside of Harvard. Research Collaborators should have a legitimate and documented research-related business reason to access university space or resources, and should be directly sponsored at the Harvard Chan School by the relevant PI. Requests for Research Collaborator HSR roles must include the following documentation as attachments:
- Signed Visitor Participation Agreement (VPA). Note: Visitors from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are not required to submit a VPA form, with the exception of MIT undergraduates, who must submit a VPA form.
- Signed Acknowledgement of Risk and Release of Claims (if accessing one of Harvard’s laboratories). Note: Employees of one of the 15 teaching hospitals and institutes associated with the Harvard Medical School are not required to complete this form.
- A signed and counter-signed Research Collaborator HSR Information Form outlining the scope of activities and the nature of the collaboration and relationship with Harvard and specifying that the HSR is not an agent or employee of Harvard. See: SPH HSR Candidate Info Form
*Research Collaborator HSRs will have an additional layer of approval required (from a Local Approver in OFA or HR).
Expiring HSRs
HSRs must be renewed on or before their end date listed in the HSR Portal. Renewing HSRs must meet all HSR Policy criteria and have the required documentation to be approved for renewal. For HSRs onboarded prior to July 15, 2021, their information will be transferred into the new HSR Portal, but newly required documents will be required on requests for their extension/renewal.
FAQs
Who can sponsor a Research Collaborator HSR?
A primary faculty member, a research scientist, staff scientist, or lab manager can sponsor a HSR. By exception, a secondary faculty member from another school at Harvard can sponsor a HSR for work related to a grant being run through the Harvard Chan School.
Can departing academic appointees have a HSR? (UPDATED 8-19-21)
HSR roles may not be used to extend access for most departing employees or other Harvard affiliates who wish to retain access to email, file shares, or other resources to which their employee role granted them privileges.
For a short time in Fall 2021, departing appointees may have a temporary HSR designation to close out projects and forward correspondence to their new primary email account. With the exception of departing postdocs*, starting in 2022, departing appointees will have to be transitioned–if necessary and appropriate–within an unpaid, non-PI-rights-eligible, time-limited appointment.
Co-authorship and email forwarding are not legitimate qualifications for an appointment in and unto themselves, and all efforts should be made to plan accordingly for original appointment end dates. Co-authorship does not by definition require a School email account; School email accounts are meant to be reserved for active appointees; off-boarding should commence three to six months prior to planned end dates, depending on the appointment type, when the appointee is reminded or given notice of the term date for the appointment.
*Departing postdocs are eligible for six months of HSR status and may be sponsored by department administrators and assigned a Research Collaborator HSR without the required information form. After the six-month period, they will have to be sponsored by their PIs and an information form will be required.
Can current HSRs be extended?
Current HSRs were ported into the new system from the old system before July 15, 2021. When they reach their end dates, those HSRs will be required to be renewed through the new process and according to the new Harvard HSR policy. This means Research Collaborators will have to fill out the SPH HSR Candidate Info Form and Sponsors will be responsible for approving those HSRs in the Harvard HSR portal, regardless of how their initial HSR was entered.
