The Office of Research, a central staff office
reporting to the Vice Provost for Research, is charged with administrative
responsibility for all University research and related activities involving
extramural sponsorship. In fulfilling its duties, the Office of Research
serves as both a center of advocacy for research and related activities,
and facilitator of the research environment. The functional areas supported
by Office of Research staff include information services, project and
proposal development assistance, and grants and contracts administration
for preaward and selected post-award tasks. All proposals submitted
by University personnel must be transmitted to and reviewed by Office
of Research staff to assure adherence to internal and external policies
and procedures. The Director of the Office serves as the designated
University Officer for all related matters.
Information Services
The Office of Research assists members of the
University community in identifying potential sources of external funding
and in obtaining information on the guidelines, procedures, and policies
related to proposal development and submission. These information services
include:
Maintenance of a Home Page with links to funding
databases, Office of Research publications, and time-urgent information
as well as to external research-related publications such as the Federal
Register and FedBizOpps/Commerce Business Daily, and federal
and nonfederal agencies. The URL is [http://www.pitt.edu/~offres].
Identification of potential external sponsors
through the use of on-line computer databases such as SPIN, IRIS
(Illinois Researcher Information Service) and the Community of Science
Funding Opportunities databases as well as other resources.
Dissemination of information on funding sources
and programs, agency policies, and other research- and sponsored
project-related topics.
For questions about funding opportunities,
send e-mail to gfs49@pitt.edu, or call
624-7413.
Project and Proposal Support
Advice and conferral in these areas offered
by the Office of Research:
Provide resource materials and workshops
on grants administration and proposal writing.
Give advice and guidance on proposal preparation.
To access these services, phone 624-7405.
Grants and Contracts Services
The Office of Research grants and contracts staff
are responsible for assuring that proposals submitted for external funding
and awards made to the University meet sponsor and University requirements.
Services offered include:
Clarification of sponsors' proposal guidelines
and university requirements for sponsored funding.
Review of proposals for accuracy of budget
components and rates such as fringe benefits and indirect costs.
Specialized assistance for RFPs, RFAs, and
other "Best and Final" (BAFO) offers.
Final pre-submission proposal review, compliance
verification, and institutional signature. (All proposals for external
funding must be reviewed and approved by the Office of Research prior
to submission to funding agency.)
Negotiation and acceptance of grant and contract
awards. (All grant and contract awards must be negotiated by the
appropriate Grants and Contracts Officer.)
Liaison with other administrative offices,
such as Research/Cost Accounting, Purchasing, Technology Transfer,
Risk Management, and General Counsel, for specialized support matters.
Assistance with selected post-award matters
such as prior approvals, budget revisions, no-cost extensions, and
subcontracts issuance.
Phone 624-7400 to contact the grants and contracts
staff member assigned to your constituency.
