1.3 Office of Sponsored Projects

Revised 1/30/03

1.3.1 Mission

The Office of Sponsored Projects plays a pivotal role in research and program development and management by providing services to the university and to sponsored project investigators. OSP is charged with assisting faculty and other university personnel to achieve funding for research and other scholarly activity and to provide oversight on issues of federal, state and university compliance, laws and regulations. OSP assists the university in assuring that maximum public benefit is derived from sponsored projects.

1.3.2 Vision

To use both client-service principles and state-of-the-art technology to support and enhance the university's competitiveness and responsiveness to sponsor, faculty and staff needs. The Office of Sponsored Projects will provide seamless, customer-centered, value-added services in securing and managing sponsored projects.

1.3.3 Values and Core Principles

1. The OSP staff is knowledgeable and creative in finding solutions.
2. The OSP staff is committed to assisting investigators and administrators across the campus.
3. The OSP staff is goal and result oriented.
4. The OSP staff value teamwork within the OSP office and with investigators, other university units and sponsors.
5. The OSP staff is committed to continuous evaluation and improvement in processes and services.
6. The OSP staff is customer oriented and believes in Win-Win solutions.

1.3.4 Services

The services provided by the Office of Sponsored Projects include, but are not limited to:

1. A source for identifying funding opportunities, for both general university information and specific areas of interest for research faculty.
2. A knowledgeable resource and advisor to Principal Investigators and University staff regarding Federal, State and Local Government, and other funding agencies' rules, regulations and procedures.
3. Reviews all proposals prior to submission (including revisions, supplements and continuations) for accuracy, correctness and legal sufficiency, considering agency requirements and University policies. Administrators will routinely check format, applications, budgets, and other parts of the proposal as part of the review process.
4. Advocate and act as steward for the policies and procedures for the University, the Vice President of Research and the sponsoring agency.
5. The Director of Sponsored Projects, as designated by the Vice President of Research, is the authorized institutional signature for the University of Utah for all sponsored agreements.
6. Negotiates the terms and conditions of awards and contracts with the sponsoring agencies and works with the Principal Investigator to incorporate adequate and correct statements of work and budgets. Prepares sub-awards as necessary.
7. Prepares the Project Information Sheet (bucksheet) upon receipt of award documentation and forwards it to Research Accounting for project setup.
8. Coordinates all award-closing actions with Principal Investigator and other University agencies.
9. Prepares and maintains a pre-award and non-fiscal post award file for proper contract administration and historical information.
10. Assists Principal Investigators with procedural management of active research projects (i.e. preliminary project awards, rebudgeting, reporting, and regulatory and compliance issues).
11. Is a liaison to various University departments, work units and organizations, including organizations outside the University structure, and sponsors to ensure appropriate, accurate and timely contract administration.
12. Develops training for University faculty and staff regarding the policies, compliance issues, procedures, proposal improvement and agency specific issues.
13. Maintains a University sponsored project database for proposals, awards, and other relevant information to provide University administration, colleges, departments and others with management information.
14. Verifies adherence to Federal and University institutional compliance issues such as animal and human subjects compliance, biosafety, and recombinant DNA.
15. Maintains a web page to assist Principal Investigators with proposal preparation and award management.
16. Forwards potential conflict of interest disclosures to the Compliance Committee. Acts as a member of the oversight committee, if appointed.