Paid Consultant vs. Collaborator
What is the difference?
Paid Consultant: Provides expert advice or specialized knowledge for a fee. They provide guidance but do not share responsibility for the project’s outcomes.
Example: Hiring a cybersecurity consultant to recommend best practices for securing research data.
Collaborator: Works with you as a partner by contributing effort, resources, and sharing in the responsibility of project results.
Example: A faculty member from another university co-authoring a research publication and sharing in project responsibilities and deliverables.
Why It Matters:
Understanding the distinction between a paid consultant and a collaborator helps ensure appropriate agreements, compliance, and clear expectations in sponsored research projects.
See the related tip for additional information on subawards vs services agreements: https://www.osp.pitt.edu/news/do-i-need-subaward-or-services-agreement.