About the Office of Research Services

The ORS provides advice and assistance to faculty, staff, and students in preparing and submitting proposals requesting funds for research and other sponsored programs. There are five (5) areas of responsibility and activity through which this is accomplished.

1. Liaison

The Office of Research Services is the office through which federal, state, local, and private funding agencies channel their requests for assistance utilizing grants and contracts. In addition, it is the unit through which faculty coordinate their efforts in the development of research and other sponsored programs. The ORS assist faculty in making contracts with government and private agency officials; works to stimulate the interests of these agencies in appropriate university programs; and provide a clearing house for information on faculty interests and university capabilities.

2. Information Services

Through established contact with governmental agencies, private organizations, professional associations, and special periodicals, the ORS maintains a resource collection of current information and funding sources. Information about program support – both public and private – proposal guidelines, new programs, and funding trends is shared with faculty, staff, administrators, and other persons affiliated with the university or requesting assistance from the university.

3. Proposal Preparation and Submission

In most instances, a faculty member will initiate a proposal for a specific program of interest for external funding. This initial interest by the faculty, along with the department and college support, is important to successful proposal development. In order to facilitate the preparation of the proposal the ORS:

  • Assists faculty members in identifying specific funding sources;
  • Provides appropriate guidelines and other program information;
  • Assist with actual proposal document preparation and submission;
  • Review proposals for completeness and format;
  • Assist with budget preparation, including coordination of institutional cost sharing, required space allocations, faculty release time and other commitments;
  • Coordinate university review procedures, required assurances and certifications, and transmittal of funding source;
  • Determine whether human subject and animal care protection compliance are necessary and assists in developing adequate procedures;
  • Monitor the status of pending proposals;
  • Attempts to expedite their review and approval;
    Negotiates the legal and technical components of research grants and contracts or other agreements on behalf of the university; and
    Provides general assistance to the university in planning and development stages of new programs and facilities whenever outside funding is a consideration.

4. Award Administration

Once a grant or contract is awarded to the University, the ORS maintains and coordinates review procedures necessary to ensure compliance with applicable University and grantor polices and guidelines; provides general administrative services to the PI, including the establishment of accounts and records, general coordination of other fiscal procedures, and general institutional support of the program; provides academic and other administrative units with the appropriate reports and current status of all sponsored programs and funded research activities; monitors the compliance with both federal and state regulations; conducts all contract negotiations, including revisions, on behalf of the University; and monitors expenditures to assure compliance with University and funding agency policies.

5. Regulatory Compliance

ORS is responsible for the administration and facilitation of regulatory compliance efforts associated with research activities at the University. This is accomplished through the coordination and monitoring activities of the Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects in Research (IRB) and the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) as well as tracking and oversight of various compliance issues. ORS provides administrative assistance to the IRB and IACUC members. Additionally, ORS is responsible for the University’s program for education of faculty, staff, and students regarding compliance regulations and responsibilities of human subjects, animal care, and related issues.

For more information and assistance, visit the Office of Research Services, located in the Ziff Carriage House (Maguire Campus).

Phone: (610) 660-1206, Fax: (610) 660-3494, Email: ors@sju.edu.

NOTE – This site makes extensive use of the Adobe Acrobat PDF format. *

*If you do not have the free Adobe Acrobat reader installed on your computer, we suggest that you download it here. If you need assistance in preparing a PDF document, or in converting an existing document to PDF format, please call x1286.