Incoming Joint Appointments with Federal Laboratories

This guidance describes UW—Madison's standard process for establishing and administering Joint Appointments (JAs) with federal laboratories when UW hosts a laboratory employee and reimburses the home laboratory for salary and fringe.

Joint Appointments are a recurring arrangement across campus and involve coordination among academic units, Research and Sponsored Programs (RSP), Human Resources, and Business Services. This page explains how the process works and what is needed at each step to facilitate timely and compliant execution.

A Joint Appointment is a personnel arrangement in which:

• An individual employed by a federal laboratory holds a formal appointment at UW—Madison, and
• UW reimburses the laboratory for salary and fringe associated with the appointment.

Joint Appointments:

• Are not research subawards
• Do not delegate scientific scope or programmatic authority to the laboratory
• Are commonly treated by federal laboratories as personnel arrangements with 0% F&A

Understanding this distinction helps ensure the appropriate campus pathways are used for agreements and payment.

National Lab joint appointees are not authorized to serve as PI on UW—Madison grants, contracts, or other sponsored projects solely because they hold a UW—Madison joint appointment or affiliation. Sponsored-project PI status must be based on UW—Madison's PI eligibility rules or an approved UW—Madison PI-status request. In general, if the individual's UW—Madison relationship is limited to a joint, affiliate, adjunct, visiting, zero-dollar, or similar non-employee appointment, an eligible UW—Madison PI should serve as the institutional PI, with the National Lab joint appointee listed in an appropriate non-PI role.

Academic Unit (Department, Dean's Office, PI)

• Identifies the need for a Joint Appointment.
• Confirms funding availability and sponsor allowability.
• Articulates why the individual is needed and why the appointment is important for UW—Madison.
• Initiates the request and coordinates internally.
• Submits the ShopUW PO request for payment after agreements are executed.

Research and Sponsored Programs (RSP)

• Reviews Joint Appointment requests and associated documentation.
• Reviews and negotiates the overarching MOU with the federal laboratory, when needed.
• Reviews and signs individual Joint Appointment agreements and work orders that attach to the MOU.
• Serves as the institutional signing office for these agreements.

Office of Human Resources (OHR)

• Establishes campuswide expectations for Joint Appointment
• Develops and maintains a standard Joint Appointment offer letter template
• Provides guidance to department HR personnel to help avoid unintended employment implications.

Business Services / Purchasing

• Supports supplier setup for federal laboratories (W-9, ACH, portal access, etc.).
• Processes payment through ShopUW once required documentation is in place.

Step 1 — Initiation and Documentation

The academic unit identifies the Joint Appointment need and initiates the process.

The Dean's Office:

• Reviews the request at a high level and understands the risk associated.
• Ensures the rationale for the appointment is documented.
• Creates a RAMP record for the work order, describing:
• Why the individual is needed for the Joint Appointment
• Why the appointment is important to UW—Madison

The RAMP record routes to RSP for review and signature.

Step 2 — Agreement Review and MOU Confirmation

The department routes the proposed work order and draft Joint Appointment agreement to RSP. Then RSP will:

• Confirms whether an MOU with the federal laboratory already exists.
• If an MOU exists:
• Confirms the Joint Appointment agreement is consistent with the MOU and proceeds with review.
• If no MOU exists:
• Coordinates review and negotiation of the MOU (with Office of Legal Affairs as needed).
• Executes the MOU under delegated authority.
• Reviews, negotiates (if needed), and signs the individual Joint Appointment agreement and work order pursuant to the MOU.

This step establishes the institutional agreement framework before any individual appointment is finalized.

Step 3 — Joint Appointment Offer Letter

• The department prepares the offer letter using the approved OHR template (forthcoming) or interim guidance.
• The offer letter is executed by the appointing authority and the appointee.

Step 4 — Payment Processing

• After the Joint Appointment agreement and work order are signed by RSP:
• The department submits a Workday requisition that includes:
• The signed Joint Appointment agreement as an attachment
• The signed work order as an attachment
• Selects prepayment (if advance payment is required)
• The department submits a new supplier request in ShopUW+ as needed
• Business Services:
• Completes supplier setup as needed (Disbursements — Supplier file team)
• Reviews and approved requisition and processes PO (Purchasing Services)
• Issues payment (upon invoice, or in advance if prepayment selected — Disbursements - Accounts Payable)

Step 5 — Appointment Period and Reconciliation

• Laboratories may provide periodic informational invoices.
• If actual costs are less than the advance payment:
• The laboratory issues a refund to UW.
• Business Services reconciles payments at the end of the appointment period.

• Joint Appointments follow a defined but collaborative process.
• Early initiation and clear documentation help the process move smoothly.
• RSP signs the agreements; payments flow through Business Services.
• Using the standard steps avoids delays and rework.