Guide to Research Support at ODU
Support for research at the university is provided by the Office of Research and the Research Foundation. Although closely linked, the two are distinct and seperate. Both are located on the second floor of Innovation Research Park I at the intersection of 41st Street and Monarch Way.
The Office of Research, an administrative department of the university, assists faculty through a three-pronged approach: research development, research compliance, and licensing and technology.
The Old Dominion University Research Foundation is an independent, not-for-profit, tax-exempt 501 (c) (3) organization. The Foundation serves as the university's fiscal agent for sponsored program activities.
Office of Research
The Research Development team offers strategic proposal development services to all faculty, including:
- Communication of grant opportunities through weekly listservs
- Assembly of multi-disciplinary collaborative terms
- Analyzes solicitations and guidelines
- Strategizes with faculty to strengthen proposals
- Writing guidance including outlines, checklists and editing support
The development team manages the office's intramural funding programs.
The Research Compliance team ensures adherence to federal regulations governing research risks.
- Manages the protocol review process for human subjects, animal subjects and biosafety research
- Consults with investigators on study design to ensure regulatory compliance
- Provides educational outreach to researchers
- Ensures training requirements for faculty and students are met
- Assesses research activities for relevance to Export Control regulations
- Confirms research conflicts of interest are appropriately managed
The compliance team works closely with and receives research submissions for the university's Institutional Review Board, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and Institutional Biosafety Committee. Submissions are only accepted through IRBNet.
The Innovations Commercialization team focuses on converting the results of academic endeavors to commercially viable products.
- Evaluates ideas and academic efforts disclosed by faculty and generated in the course of research and scholarly activities
- Seeks to protect intellectual property with commercial potential through patent protection or other forms of intellectual property protection
- Licenses intellectual property rights to third parties through relationships with industry and by fostering entrepreneurism
- Negotiates and manages the Material Transfer Agreement process
- Establishes Teaming Agreements, Non-Disclosure and Confidentiality Agreements
Throughout the school year, the Office of Research sponsors workshops related to grant opportunities, informational opportunities and other research-related information. Find a full list of events on the Office of Research calendar.
Research Foundation
The pre-award grant contract administrator team assists faculty with proposal review and submission process.
- Advises faculty on sponsor instructions
- Assembles required elements
- Develops budgets and justifications
- Obtains documentation from external partners
- Reviews compliance with agency guidelines
- Reviews a sponsor's legal terms and conditions
- Interacts with the sponsor on all non-technical matters
- Serves as the authorized official for signatures and electronic submission.
The post-award grant contract administrator team assists faculty with grants once they are awarded.
- Ensures expenditures area allowable under federal regulations and appropriate under specific sponsored program, ODU and Research Foundation policies
- Negotiates terms and conditions of contracts
- Issues and negotiates subcontracts and consultant agreements
- Creates Cooperative Research and Development Agreements
(CRADAs) - Assists with tracking reports and other deliverables
- Monitors and documents cost share requirements
- Administers Office of Research intramural funding budgets
- Processes faculty release time, summer conversion and supplemental summer salary
- Ensures appropriate project close-out with sponsors
The accounting team works in conjunction with the post-award grant contract administrators.
- Documents time and effort spent on grants
- Processes payroll
- Procures goods and services for sponsored programs
- Coordinates financial reporting and compliance audits
- Pays grant-related expenses
- Bills sponsors for grant work performed.
The Research Foundation maintains its own Human Resources department for recruitment, classification and compensation systems to fulfill the unique requirements of researchers.
- Assists with payroll authorizations
- Advertises and recruits faculty researchers and student research assistants
- Assists with new employee paperwork and benefits administration
- Collaborates with International Student and Scholar Services to ensure employees have appropriate VISA status and classification
- Provides guidance on worker's compensation
- Provides employee handbook, performance evaluations and performance management support.
