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FAQs: Intergovernmental Personnel Act (“IPA”) Appointment Policy

Find the policy at ER 21 Intergovernmental Personnel Act Assignments.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the IPA Mobility Program?

The IPA Mobility Program is a personnel mechanism authorized under the Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) of 1970 and provides for the temporary assignment of personnel between the US federal government and state and local governments, colleges and universities, Indian tribal governments, federally funded research and development centers, and other eligible organizations. The IPA permits federal agencies to assign personnel both to and from an agency to promote cooperation and provide mutual benefits to the federal agency and non-federal entity. The goal of the Act is to facilitate the movement of employees for short periods of time for objectives such as strengthening the management capabilities of an agency; assisting the transfer and use of new technologies and approaches; involving tribal, state, and local officials in the development and implementation of federal policies; and providing program and developmental experience.  

The University of Pittsburgh (“University”) receives funding from many organizations that support and encourage IPA appointments, including National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Veterans Administration, and DARPA.  

For more information about the IPA Mobility Program, please visit the U.S. Office of Personnel Management webpage.

2. Who at the University is eligible for IPA assignments?

 With approval from their supervisor, tenured, tenure stream, and appointment stream faculty; and full-time staff are eligible. More specific eligibility requirements are provided in Section IV. A. i. of the Policy. 

3. Why are IPA appointments with the Veterans Administration (VA) not covered under the University’s IPA Appointment Policy? 

The VA has special exemptions that allow it to use the IPA Mobility Program in unique ways that require different approaches to planning an IPA experience. These are handled in an ad-hoc way today.

4. I’ve been offered a position at a government laboratory. Which positions are acceptable via the IPA?

Only laboratories that are truly part of the federal government may offer positions in the IPA program. Recent examples include Chief Scientist positions at the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Office of Naval Research. Positions at federally funded research and development centers (FFRDC) such as Sandia National Laboratories or MIT Lincoln Laboratory or CMU’s Software Engineering Institute are not generally IPA positions.

5. How do I learn about and develop IPA opportunities?

First, talk to colleagues and your supervisor about government organizations that do work that is well aligned with your research and the research of your department. Then talk to an official at the selected government department or agency, as some organizations keep open very broad descriptions, whereas the specific need can vary from year to year. Several organizations are common sources of positions for Pitt; including:

6. What are the benefits for faculty and staff to pursue an IPA assignment? How might the University benefit from an IPA assignment?

Pursuing an IPA assignment with the federal government can be an enjoyable and career-enhancing experience for University faculty and staff. Often, IPA assignees will learn many things useful to their career and to the University. Examples include new approaches to leading centers, new areas of research, and new techniques. IPA appointees could also make contacts for future research, and gain expertise on grant-writing for a given organization.  

The IPA can benefit the University in diverse ways, including:

  • Raising the visibility of the University within government. IPA roles often include interacting with numerous people and agencies, providing them a personal connection to the University. 
  • Broadening the assignee’s perspective and sense of possibility. This can encourage new lines of research, endeavors, and partnerships upon returning to the University. 
  • Informing and inspiring students and colleagues by bringing the IPA perspective to the classroom and projects. To this end, the assignee should consider presenting about the experience upon returning to the University.
7. What types of assignments does the IPA Mobility Program provide?

The U.S. government has two common roles for IPA assignments. The first is as a part-time contributor to an important government initiative, serving as a subject matter expert. The second is as a full-time or near-full-time employee at the agency, serving as an organizational leader or a program manager.

8. What types of faculty and staff should pursue an IPA assignment?

Although any faculty and staff can take advantage, positions are best fit for faculty that have achieved tenure, or experienced staff with similar levels of experience. These personnel are best positioned to bring knowledge of their field and of other work done at the University and elsewhere to their temporary assignment, and they are also best positioned to make arrangements for their careers, labs, and students that are consistent with the new assignment.

9. How can performance be evaluated during the IPA assignment?

Organizations have often been willing to write a letter to the IPA assignee’s supervisor once a year, covering the assignee’s role and the creative contributions of the assignee. Assignees should ask for this when negotiating the IPA agreement. This review can be used to assign raises and support promotion cases.  

10. What information should be included in an IPA Standard Assignment Agreement Form? 

At a minimum, the following should be included: (1) terms of agreement should be specified completely and accurately; (2) any changes to the agreement must be reflected in writing and signed by the relevant parties; and (3) the University’s full legal name should be referenced where appropriate (University of Pittsburgh – Of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education, a Pennsylvania non-profit corporation with offices at 4200 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 (the “University”)). 

11. Do I receive sabbatical credit while on an IPA?

It depends. How the time away on an IPA is handled is flexible to give the faculty member different options. If the faculty member takes a paid or an unpaid leave while on the IPA, then there is no accrual of sabbatical credits. If the faculty member negotiates the time away using course buyouts or course releases, then sabbatical credit would be accrued. Typically, the IPA assignee is treated as remaining at the University with only a change in responsibilities. In such cases, sabbatical credit is earned the same as when pursuing responsibilities at the university. The faculty member should discuss sabbatical credit with their supervisor as part of planning to take an IPA.

12. What are my options to continue or waive my University benefits while pursuing an IPA?

Faculty and staff members on an IPA may request to waive their University of Pittsburgh benefits for the duration of their leave. The faculty or staff members must initiate the request with the University of Pittsburgh's Benefits Department to waive their benefits during leave and re-enroll in benefits upon their return to work. Requests to waive benefits must be submitted within 60 days of the leave start date and requests to re-enroll in benefits must be submitted within 60 days of the return-to-work date. The effective date would correlate with the dates of the leave starting and ending in accordance with our qualified status change policies.

Visit the Office of Human Resources webpage for information on Qualifying Life Events and a guide to waive/re-enroll in benefits.

13. Why must tenure stream faculty members in their probationary period submit a written plan for achieving tenure within the tenure clock, and what should the written plan include?

The written plan is required in order to help the faculty member to think carefully about timing and what the faculty member needs to accomplish to achieve tenure. In addition, the plan will facilitate a conversation between the faculty member and their supervisor about the practicality of the plan.

The written plan must be submitted to and approved by the faculty member’s supervisor.  In addition to information that must be included by all IPA assignee (see Policy Section V. A.), tenure-stream, untenured faculty should also include at least the following:

  • a summary of the faculty member’s progress toward tenure to date in all areas for evaluation. This summary should include, as appropriate, a list of publications and completed manuscripts or other creative work, courses taught, and service activities performed;
  • a description of the work to be completed for inclusion in the tenure dossier in each area for evaluation (scholarship, teaching, and service) and the anticipated timeline for completion of that work; and
  • a plan for evaluation of the faculty member’s work while on the IPA assignment for inclusion in the tenure dossier. For example, the plan might call for the IPA assignee’s supervisor at the host organization to write a letter to the assignee’s supervisor once a year that describes the assignee’s role and assesses the contributions of the assignee.
14. Who can I contact for more information?

Your supervisor may know of a colleague who has experience in such a position. Faculty and staff on an IPA assignment will often share what they have learned via seminars and “lunch-and-learn” talks. For faculty, reach out to whomever is in your local “faculty affairs” position. 

15. Who is involved in approving an IPA assignment proposal?

As provided in the Policy, a prospective IPA Assignee must obtain approval from their Supervisor. Section V. B. Responsibilities of the Policy further provides that the approving Supervisor may coordinate, as appropriate, with upper-level administration. That coordination may vary among schools/units depending on internal practices and could include, but is not limited to, consultation with a school's Dean or an executive administrator who oversees the respective unit/office.

16. I am a member of the Faculty Bargaining Unit, does this Policy apply to me?

Bargaining Unit Faculty Members are currently excluded from this Policy, pending collective bargaining negotiations with the Faculty Union. Bargaining Unit Faculty Members can still pursue an IPA opportunity but will need to work with their supervisor for applicable processes. Such processes will be consistent with past practices.

17. Who signs an IPA on behalf of the University?

The Office of Sponsored Programs will review and sign IPA agreements on behalf of the University. Contact osp@pitt.edu for any IPA-related processing or signing questions.

18. How do I submit an IPA agreement draft to the Office of Sponsored Programs to review and sign?

The department research administrator should submit the IPA agreement draft in PERIS™ MyFunding (peris.pitt.edu). The proposal title should read “IPA – (Individual Name)” and indicate that the proposal instrument type is Other: IPA. An Office of Sponsored Programs staff member will review the agreement and secure the institutional signature. Contact osp@pitt.edu for any IPA-related processing or signing questions.

19. Who do I contact to help me process an IPA agreement?

Faculty and staff are encouraged to work with their unit research administrator to ensure internal processes are followed and the responsibilities described in section V are met. You are also welcome to contact osp@pitt.edu for any IPA-related processing or signing questions.