The Office of Research and Sponsored Program, under the direction of Maria Montoro Edwards, Ph.D., Assistant Vice President for Research, is responsible for Academic Affairs grants and contracts (sponsored programs) initiated by or to be managed by faculty, academic departments, colleges, centers, or institutes.  Each sponsored program is conducted within a framework of regulations, policies, and procedures, including sponsor policies, university policies, and departmental and collegiate guidelines.

The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs serves as the central clearing and budget approval point for Academic Affairs grants regardless of the purpose (programmatic or research) or source (public or private).  Projects related to Student Life, capital projects, and private scholarships are the responsibility of the Development Office in University Advancement.

The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs accepts responsibility for oversight, compliance, management, and appropriate conduct of sponsored activities on behalf of the principal investigator or project director.  Marywood University maintains a centralized, coordinated approach to the review, clearance, approval, submission, and management of all sponsored programs.  ORSP assists faculty in identifying sources of funding and following guidelines for policies related to submission, implementation and compliance and administers annual internal grant programs for faculty and student research.

The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs administers the Institutional Review Board (IRB), Exempt Review Committee (ERC), and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and provides required training for committee members, researchers, sponsors, and administrative staff.

The Assistant Vice President for Research and Sponsored Programs serves as the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR)/Signing Official (SO) for electronic applications and is authorized to submit application on behalf of the university.

Faculty interested in pursuing external funding are encouraged to contact ORSP at the earliest stage of project development, specifically prior to contacting private funders, to ensure that the application is developed in compliance with university and sponsored policies and that there are no conflicts with other proposals in process.  

The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs works collaboratively with the Development Office on some external funding opportunities and will take responsibility for making that contact when appropriate.  Faculty should advise the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs know when they have received in-kind donations or supplies from external sources so that the donor and the department can be properly acknowledged.