Unit Role
Principles, Standards, and Guidance
Education and Awareness
Administration and Management
Institutional Oversight
Monitoring
Noncompliance
Coordination Among Entities
Records and Reporting

Unit Role

The Office of Sponsored Research Services (OSRS) reviews, approves, and provides institutional signature for university-wide proposals, awards, and contracts as these documents relate to sponsored research. In addition, the Office of Sponsored Research Services assists with monitoring of compliance with Federal regulations and University, School of Medicine, and sponsoring agency policies and procedures regarding the management of non-financial aspects of sponsored research programs. Inasmuch, the Office of Sponsored Research Services functions as a liaison between sponsors and the Principal Investigator in matters of policy, procedures, and regulations and provides communication, education, and training on proposals, awards, and contracts to the Washington University research community.

The Office of Sponsored Research Services serves the University research community. OSRS core functions include proposal preaward and outgoing subawards.  OSRS assists with managing non-financial post award activities and award reporting.

The Office of Sponsored Research Services reports to the Vice Chancellor for Research.

Principles, Standards, and Guidance

  • Provides direction and assistance to help assure appropriate interpretation and implementation of Federal regulations and University, School of Medicine, policies and procedures.
  • In conjunction with Sponsored Projects Accounting (SPA), aids in the formulation, implementation, and interpretation of policies and procedures for various cost and budgetary issues in accordance with Federal regulations and University, School of Medicine, and sponsoring agency policies and procedures.

Education and Awareness

  • Communicates information about sponsors and funding opportunities to faculty and deans to support faculty research interests and institutional goals and objectives.
  • Partners with SPA to provide training to researchers and staff on the appropriate stewardship of non-scientific project-related activities.
  • In conjunction with Research Education and information (REI), develops and implements educational programs and tools to assist researchers and staff to comply with Federal regulations and University, School of Medicine, and sponsoring agency policies and procedures related to various aspects of sponsored research administration (e.g. proposal development, proposal submission, and award management, processing outgoing subawards).
  • Maintains the Research Management System (RMS) used for preparing and submitting proposals and the Subaward User Business System (SUBS) for handling and outgoing subawards

Administration and Management

  • Represents the University to Federal regulatory agencies.
  • Serves as liaison between the Principal Investigator and the sponsoring agency during the proposal, award, and project management stages of the sponsored research project.
  • Coordinates with Sponsored Projects Accounting to help ensure that sponsored research projects are administered in accordance with Federal regulations and University, School of Medicine, and sponsoring agency policies and procedures.
  • Reviews and approves grant and contract budgets and proposals.
  • Prepares and issues outgoing subawards.
  • Reviews small business subcontracting plans for large federally funded contracts.
  • Provides guidance to help ensure that the appropriate facilities and administrative cost rates are requested and utilized.
  • Provides guidance to help ensure the acceptability of language in sponsor proposal guidelines and award documents.
  • Develops and maintains electronic systems related to proposal development, award administration and outgoing subawards.

Institutional Oversight

  • Endorses proposals and other sponsor-related documents that require an authorized institutional official to certify adherence and compliance with various terms and conditions associated with research administration.
  • Reviews all incoming awards for accuracy and acceptability of terms and conditions.
  • Assists SPA with providing institutional approval for award documents when required by sponsoring agency (e.g., closeout, change of PI, extensions).
  • Reviews and approves proposal budgets and certifies compliance with Federal regulations and University, School of Medicine, and sponsoring agency policies, procedures, and guidelines.

Monitoring

  • Monitors and imposes restrictions on international exchanges of information, items, and/or activities if required by law.
  • Reviews proposals to help assure that research can be performed in compliance with Federal regulations and University policies and procedures related to export controls.
  • Monitors compliance with regulatory requirements on sponsored research projects.

Noncompliance

  • Assists in resolving instances of noncompliance associated with sponsor-related activity.
  • Supports and endorses cooperation with University compliance and monitoring efforts and reports instances of noncompliance to the appropriate compliance office.

Coordination Among Entities

  • Coordinates with the Human Research Protection Office (HRPO) to help ensure that sponsored research proposals are in compliance with Federal and State regulations and University and sponsoring agency policies and procedures instituted to protect the rights and welfare of human research participants.
  • Coordinates with the Conflict of Interest Review Committee (CIRC) to help ensure that disclosure requirements are satisfied at proposal submission in accordance with Federal regulations and University and sponsoring agency policies and procedures.
  • Coordinates with the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) to help ensure that sponsored research proposals are in compliance with Federal regulations and University and sponsoring agency policies and procedures instituted to assure the humane use and care of animals in research projects.
  • Coordinates with the Environmental Health and Safety Office (EHS) to help ensure that sponsored research proposals are in compliance with Federal, State, and local regulations and University and sponsoring agency policies and procedures instituted to protect the health and safety of research participants, personnel and the environment.
  • Partners with the Joint Research Office for Contracts and the Center for Clinical Studies to support faculty engaged in research University wide Clinical Trials.

Records and Reporting

  • Serves as authorized institutional point of contact for late technical reports notices.
  • Monitors web sites of agencies with technical report tracking databases.
  • Serves as point of contact for a variety of institutional reports regarding research proposals, awards, and other key statistics.