Welcome to the ORSP
The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) is dedicated to supporting faculty and research staff in obtaining and managing external funding for research, instruction, community service, and other creative and scholarly activities. We offer guidance and services for finding funding opportunities, developing competitive grant proposals, ensuring regulatory compliance, and managing awards.
The ORSP's teams, Pre-Award, Post-Award, Research Compliance, and Department Research Administrators, are structured to provide specialized support and technical assistance to all applicants applying for external funding. Whether you are seeking funding for the first time or you've already obtained funding, the ORSP is here to work with you.
Grant Lifecycle
The grant lifecycle is a comprehensive framework that guides faculty and researchers from the initial idea stage through to the completion of a funded project. The ORSP plays a central role throughout the lifecycle, providing important guidance for departments navigating procedures and requirements at each stage to ensure successful and compliant research administration.
Becoming an Investigator
Access the information you will need to get started!
Investigator Eligibility ResourcesHow We Support Researchers
Pre-Award Team
The Pre-Award Team:
- Reviews each proposal prior to submission to verify the accuracy of budget and administrative information provided in applications, for conformity to sponsor guidelines, and ensures that commitments made in proposals can be honored.
- Confirms that awards meet sponsor and university guidelines.
- Negotiates grants and contracts on behalf of the university.
- Coordinates the submission of interim project reports.
ORSP is the authorized institutional signatory for all proposals and awards.
Department Research Administrator (DRA) Team
The DRA Team:
- Serves as primary administrative contacts for faculty and staff on research-related matters within their departments.
- Assists in the development, review, and submission of grant proposals, ensuring compliance with sponsor and university requirements.
- Manages the financial aspects of sponsored projects, including budget monitoring, expense tracking, and adherence to funding regulations.
- Advises faculty and department leadership on research administration policies, procedures, and best practices.
- Liaises between the department, central administration, and sponsors to facilitate smooth project management from proposal to closeout.
Research Compliance Team
The Research Compliance Team:
- Ensures research activities comply with federal, state, and institutional regulations and policies.
- Oversees compliance programs in areas such as human subjects research (IRB), animal research (IACUC), conflict of interest, research security, export control, and responsible conduct of research.
- Provides training and guidance to faculty, staff, and students on compliance requirements.
- Reviews and manages disclosures, protocols, and other required documentation to support compliant research practices.
- Investigates and resolves compliance concerns, working with researchers and institutional officials as needed.
Post-Award Team
The Post-Award Team:
- Ensures adherence to the university’s fiscal accountability policy for sponsored-projects funds and regulatory compliance with state, private, and federal policies. All expenditures and financial transactions to support research are reviewed and validated to make certain that award terms and conditions are met.
- Is responsible for post award set up in PeopleSoft, financial analysis of awards, pre-approval of obligations and expenditures on grants, billing to the sponsor, cash deposits and application, financial reporting to the sponsor, accounts receivable monitoring and collections.
- Assists with requests for additional funding, extensions, and changes in scope or principal investigator.
All university billings, letter of credit, or other requests for payment will be in the name of the University of Massachusetts Boston.