Preaward Services

Principal Investigators (PIs) are now being asked to complete a brief intake form as soon as a decision has been made to submit a proposal. After the form is submitted, coordination of support (if necessary) will occur between the Office of Research and Creative Activity and unit (department or center) staff.

Faculty can elect to:

1. complete the submission without assistance from Unit or Office of Research and Creative Activity staff; or
2. seek unit support, if available; or
3. request full Office of Research and Creative Activity support, as timing allows  

PIs should consult with unit support staff to determine the availability of pre-award support. Likewise, PIs should consult with Office of Research and Creative Activities staff to determine what support can be provided according to an anticipated submission timeline. It is recommended that the intake form be completed even if a proposal submission is PI-led or supported by unit staff. 

Office of Research and Creative Activity Services

If faculty elect Office of Research and Creative Activities support, we can provide custom, concierge service to PIs for the preparation and submission of all non-technical proposal documents, which allows PIs to focus on preparing technical elements of proposal submissions. We also help PIs meet internal and external compliance requirements. Our services include:

• Interpreting sponsor guidelines
• Creating sponsor-specific timelines and checklists
• Developing budget and justification documents with Principal Investigators
• Building proposal packages (Grants.gov, Research.gov, etc.)
• Obtaining subrecipient and consultant paperwork
• Ensuring cost share commitments are accurate
• Entering Cayuse Sponsored Project proposal information
• Assisting with proposals being awarded
• Training on award management best practices

Please contact Courtney Holbert, Director of Research and Creative Activity, for all preaward service questions.

Research Development

The Office of Research and Creative Activity also provides individual or team support for development of proposals and assistance with growing agendas and pursuing sponsored program opportunities. Support can include the following:

• Identifying funding opportunities and building a tailored PIVOT profile
• Building sponsor specific toolkits
• Building a repository of successfully funded proposals
• Build and deliver professional development of best practices for external funding
• Assist with the development of collaborative teams
• Identify potential faculty/faculty teams for future center and institute scale submissions
• Provided editing assistance
• Manage research development and submission schedules for A&S faculty for submission $10M or less (ORIED handles RD project $10M and above)
• Promote and support the development of faculty and researcher applications to prestigious fellowships, awards, and honors
• Organize and facilitate teambuilding events
• Construct funding road maps and brainstorm with teams to address challenges to expanding research activities in that area

Please contact Courtney Holbert, Director of Research and Creative Activity, for all research development questions.

Additional Support Services

Associate Dean of Research and Creative Activity, Michael Blum is responsible for guiding and leading efforts to enhance the quality, breadth, quantity, and impact of Research and Creative Activity endeavors in the College of Arts and Sciences. Support and services are available to optimize faculty productivity and realizing aspirations for building and strengthening programs across the College. This often involves focusing on efforts that enhance and enrich performance, which can align with the concurrent aim of elevating conventional metrics associated with research productivity. Efforts extend to assisting with disseminating research and creative activity of the College of Arts and Sciences to all relevant academic, professional, community, and policy audiences. Some ways in which this can be done include:

• Providing formal and informal professional development to build and improve the scholarly capacity of all faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences.
• Working with the Office of Research and Creative Activity team to develop and implement policies and procedures in the College and across the University
• Supporting unit-level and College research and creative activity initiatives, including support for and review of centers and institutes
• Advocating for the College in University initiatives
• Assisting faculty in the development of successful collaborative research groups that enhance new and existing research networks, potentially involving faculty from different units in CAS, community partners, College and campus research enterprises, and individuals located at other institutions.
• Integrating College and campus resources in support of Research and Creative Activity pursuits across the College (i.e., internal funding requests, cost-share requests, etc.)
• Providing guidance and coordination of start-up packages for new hires
• Supporting faculty hiring and strategic planning of resources to build and sustain a rich portfolio of Research and Creative Activity pursuits across the College.