Permits may be granted by the commission, through its secretary, under such limitations and for such periods of time as he may determine, to educational or research institutions, public museums or nonprofit corporations organized for scientific and research purposes. They may be authorized to excavate, remove materials, or otherwise scientifically investigate by recognized professional techniques if, in the opinion of the commission, they have the professional staff and the laboratory, storage and/or museum display facilities to make available to the public the professional knowledge gained and to preserve permanently all objects, photographs and other records of their investigations in public repositories under their own supervision or control. Permits may be issued only after approval of a formal written request detailing the purposes of the proposed investigation, the location in which it is to be conducted, the sponsoring agency, and the professional personnel to be in charge.