UT Austin
NHERI Experimental Facility

NHERI@UTEXAS PAYLOAD PROTOCOL

Revision 0; 7/18/16.

1. All planned research projects and educational outreach at the NHERI@UTexas are listed on an open Goggle calendar named “NHERI@UTexas” to enable researchers to identify potential payload project opportunities.
2. Interested payload researchers should review the posted information for the ongoing/new project scope, schedule, and additional relevant data to determine feasibility of proposing a payload project.
    
3. If additional project detail is required, payload researchers are encouraged to contact project PI or NHERI@UTexas site Operations Manager, Farnyuh Menq at fymenq@utexas.edu, to foster collaboration towards the project.
    
4. Payload researcher must gain approval of existing project PI to payload onto the existing project. PI and payload researcher are both required to inform NHERI@UTexas Operations Manager of such approval and subsequent scope and available technical details of the proposed payload project to gain NHERI approval for reasons of technical feasibility and safety. Technical details should include the following:
    
   • Scope of work
   • Testing plan
   • Schedule
   • Required equipment and other resources
   • Instrumentation plan
   • Data management plan
   • Payload demolition and/or removal plan
      
   NHERI@UTexas reserves the right to decline the payload project if prior approval is not provided by project PI and communicated to NHERI@UTexas Operations Manager.
    
5. Funding source for payload project needs to be identified (to determine if funding is NSF or non-NSF funded) and communicated to NHERI@UTexas Operations Manager in order for payload project budget and impact on NHERI@UTexas Operations and Maintenance budget to be identified by NHERI@UTexas.
    
   • For budget planning, payload researcher is referred to the NHERI@UTexas website at https://utexas.designsafe-ci.org/ under Resources in order to access key budget development information for operational services and equipment provided by NHERI@UTexas.
   • Payload researcher needs to also identify additional budget requirements that are necessary to achieve payload project deliverables through communication with project PI.
      
6. Once a payload project is awarded funding, a Research Participation Agreement, or similar agreement, will need to be developed between all parties involved, including existing project PI, payload project PI, and the NHERI@UTexas prior to any effort towards the payload project.
    
7. The Research Participation Agreement, or similar agreement, will include, but not be limited to:
    
   • Identification of parties
   • Scope of Work and Testing Plan
   • Schedule with Milestones
   • Budget
   • Responsibility of Costs
   • Intellectual Property Terms and Conditions
   • Data Management Plan
   • Risk Management Plan