Overview of Prior Approval for Outside Professional Activities

What is a Prior Approval Request?

Prior approval is a critical step in ensuring that any potentially conflicting outside professional activities are properly reviewed by the COI office and approved by your Department Head before you participate in them.  A pre-approval request is a request to participate in certain outside professional activities such as starting a company, outside teaching during the appointment period, etc.

Who Needs to Secure Prior Approval?

Prior approval per policy AC80 applies to all full-time Penn State faculty (36- or 48-week appointments) both tenure and non-tenure track faculty, research faculty, teaching faculty, clinical faculty, and professors of practice. This includes Penn State Health physicians with a College of Medicine appointment. 
NOTE: Adjunct or part-time faculty, research staff, or University Officials are not required to submit prior approval requests.

When Should I Submit a Prior Approval Request?

A pre-approval request is pro-active in nature. You must submit the request in COINS before you participate in the activity. For example, if you are starting your own company, you will request prior approval before filing the paperwork to start the company. Then, if your request is approved, you must disclose the activity in COINS within 30 days of starting the activity by editing your Disclosure Profile.

It is important for you to know that prior approval is required for outside professional actitivies conducted during sabbaticals, unless the activity is part of an approved sabbatical plan. 

How Do I Request Prior Approval?

A Request Pre-Approval button is conveniently located on your Disclosure Profile Workspace under the COI tab. Navigate to one of the Learning Paths below for step-by-step instructions on prior approval requests:

Pre-approval request button under the COI tab

What Happens After I Submit My Request?

What Happens After I Submit? The form is first routed to the COI office who will verify that prior approval is needed for the activity, and if so, check it for compliance against U.S. Federal regulations and University policy. Then the request is routed to your Department Head for final review and approval.

Reasons for Denial: If your request is denied by the COI office, the COI office will notify you of the decision and provide a reason. Common examples include activities that involve Foreign Talent Recruitment programs or an activity that is not permitted per your management plan.

After the Request is Approved, Do I Still Need to Disclose the Activity? Yes! Prior approval and disclosure are two separate requirements. All outside professional activities, including ones that were previously approved, must be disclosed within 30 days of starting the activity by adding the activity your Disclosure Profile.

How Do I Add the Approved Activity To My Disclosure Profile? Navigate to one of the Learning Paths below for step-by-step instructions on prior approval requests:

Prior Approval Request Process

  1. Faculty Submits Request: Faculty member submits Prior Approval Request in COINS.
  2. COI Program Review:  COI reviews for compliance & research security.
  3. Department Head Review: Department Head reviews for workload & time commitment.
  4. Faculty Begins Activity: If approved, faculty begins activity.
  5. Faculty Discloses: Faculty adds approved activity to Disclosure Profile in COINS within 30 days.