The Vice President for Research (VPR) office supports and promotes the scholarly activities of faculty, staff, and students. This encompasses such activities as the negotiation and administration of contractual relationships with external sponsors; the ethical and responsible conduct of research and scholarly activities; and compliance with relevant governmental and institutional research regulations, including the administration of ethical/regulatory review boards. The VPR office administers internal funding supporting research and scholarly activities, faculty start-up packages, and cost share funds for sponsored projects.
The VPR Office includes a number of individual offices that each support sponsored and scholarly activities in a variety of ways as described below:
Sponsored Programs Office
Assists faculty and staff in submitting proposals to external sponsors; including budget preparation, proposal review, proposal submissions and proposal conformity to sponsor and internal guidelines. Conducts sponsored agreement negotiations with federal and state government agencies, universities, sub recipient collaborators, and other various entities.
Sponsored Programs Accounting
Assists faculty and staff in the financial management and reporting of funds received from external sponsors including account establishment, transaction processing and compliance review, cash management, financial reporting and financial account closeout procedures. Coordinates outside audits related to externally sponsored projects.
Sponsored Operations Office
Provides business infrastructure in support of the Vice President for Research (VPR) operations including: management and support of the research and technology transfer database; preparation and distribution of data reports, general and specialized support in the day-to-day operations of the VPR office, and the development and oversight of internal business and data processes through LEAN.
Innovation and Commercialization
Assists faculty and staff in submitting proposals to external industrial and foreign sponsors; including budget preparation, proposal review for conformity to sponsor and internal guidelines, and proposal submission. Conducts negotiations with industrial and foreign entities for sponsored agreements and with all external entities for non-sponsored agreements including non-disclosure agreements, material transfer agreements, teaming agreements, memoranda of understanding and other agreements. Assists faculty, staff, and students in the commercialization of University intellectual property through technology development planning assistance, patent licensing, and start-up business development. Also supports the cultivation and development of comprehensive relationships with industrial partners to further various fund-raising interests.
Research Development
Assists faculty, staff, and students in identifying funding opportunities; initiating and developing relationships with and visiting foundations and governmental agencies; developing competitive research, education, outreach, and fellowship proposals; managing the proposal development process; evaluating reviewer feedback; planning for proposal submission and resubmission; and offer workshops and one-on-one meetings to assist faculty and staff with research development activities.
Compliance, Integrity, and Safety
Supports institutional compliance with various governmental and institutional regulations and policies including; responsible conduct of research, conflict of interest, export controls and foreign nationals, misconduct, occupational safety and health, human or animal subjects' research, and laboratory biosafety for activities involving recombinant DNA and other biological organisms and materials.
Revised:
07/02/2019 - Updated University title, "Innovation and Industry Engagement is now
Innovation and Commercialization."
01/17/2017 - Annual Review: to reflect current language, changed "...opportunities;
initiating, developing relationships..." to "...opportunities; initiating and developing
relationships..."
12/08/2016 - Annual Review: To reflect current language, changed "foundations" to
"other various entities" in the Sponsored Programs Office section. Added "Coordinates
outside audits related to externally sponsored projects." to the Sponsored Programs
Accounting section. Changed the Research Development section from "Assists faculty,
staff, and students in identifying relevant funding opportunities; initiating and
developing relationships with foundations; developing competitive proposals and accurate
budget justifications; managing the proposal development process; evaluating reviewer
feedback; and planning for proposal submission and re-submission." to "Assists faculty,
staff, and students in identifying funding opportunities; initiating, developing relationships
with and visiting foundations and governmental agencies; developing competitive research,
education, outreach, and fellowship proposals; managing the proposal development process;
evaluating reviewer feedback; planning for proposal submission and resubmission; and
offer workshops and one-on-one meetings to assist faculty and staff with research
development activities." Added "occupational safety and health" and "and foreign nationals"
to the Compliance, Integrity, and Safety section.
02/04/2015 - Annual Review: To reflect current practice, the email address for questions
is now policy@mtu.edu. No changes made to content.
02/27/2014 - Annual Review: Updated Michigan Tech and Handbook banners. Section "9.5.8
Vice President for Research" was renumbered to read "9.5.9 Vice President for Research".
Moved "Sponsored Operations Office" section to follow Sponsored Programs Accounting.
Under "Sponsored Operations Office", the section read: "Provides .... data reports,
developing and negotiating of non-monetary agreements such as memoranda of understanding,
collaborations, international student exchanges, dual degree agreements, and other
agreements that do not involve the exchange of monetary resources between the parties."
The section now reads: "Provides .... data reports, general and specialized support
in the day-to-day operations of the VPR office, and the development and oversight
of internal business and data processes through LEAN." The Innovation and Industry
Engagement section read: "Assists faculty and staff in submitting proposals to external
industrial sponsors; including budget preparation, proposal review, proposal submissions
and proposal conformity to sponsor and internal guidelines. Conducts sponsored agreement
negotiations with industrial and all foreign sponsors. Assists faculty, staff, and
students in the commercialization of University intellectual property through technology
development planning assistance, patent licensing, and startup business development.
Also supports the cultivation and development of comprehensive relationships with
industrial partners to further research, technology commercialization and/or fund
raising interests." It now reads: "Assists faculty and staff in submitting proposals
to external industrial and foreign sponsors; including budget preparation, proposal
review for conformity to sponsor and internal guidelines, and proposal submission.
Conducts negotiations with industrial and foreign entities for sponsored agreements
and with all external entities for non-sponsored agreements including non-disclosure
agreements, material transfer agreements, teaming agreements, memoranda of understanding
and other agreements. Assists faculty, staff, and students in the commercialization
of University intellectual property through technology development planning assistance,
patent licensing, and start-up business development. Also supports the cultivation
and development of comprehensive relationships with industrial partners to further
various fund-raising interests."
03/28/2013 - Annual Review: Under Innovation and Industry Engagement, in the fourth
sentence, "commercializing" now reads "commercialization". The heading. "Sponsored
Programs Enhancement" now reads "Research Development" and the heading, "Research
Integrity and Compliance" now reads "Compliance, Integrity, and Safety".
07/20/2011 - Annual Review: Was previously 9.6.9. To reflect current University titles
and practice, Research Services is now Vice President for Research, included descriptions
for each area within VPR, MTU is now Michigan Tech and the email address for questions
is now hbwebmaster.