New Support for Grant Research Administration
Under the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor, the Academic Affairs Research Services Team will oversee all aspects of contract & grant administration for the Division of Humanities and Fine Arts and other Academic Affairs areas, as of January 2025.
Questions regarding this transition may be directed to Brett Beisecker, Assistant Director, Academic Affairs Financial Administration, in the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor overseeing the establishment of the new team.
General Research Administration Information
All proposals for extramurally funded grants must go to the Office of Research Sponsored Projects Office (SPO) for review and approval before they are submitted to the grant sponsor. Proposals that must be submitted include those previously submitted and awarded by the sponsor. As part of the Office of Research, SPO has the authority to certify that proposals for external funding are consistent with University policies and that promises made in proposals can be honored if the project is funded. SPO ensures compliance and consistency of proposals with sponsor and University guidelines and policies, provides all necessary institutional signatures and certifications, and may officially submit proposals to sponsor agencies on behalf of the University. For these reasons, SPO approval is required before proposal submission and is necessary in order, post-award, to accept an award and to establish an account for awarded funds.
Documents required for submission to the Office of Research Sponsored Projects Office for their review:
- Sponsor Grant Guidelines (or link to electronic guidelines)
- Detailed Budget
- Budget Justification
- Project Proposal / Statement of Work
- A copy of all additional documents required by the sponsor to be submitted with the application
Please note that SPO will not review a project proposal until all documents are submitted. Once they have reviewed your project proposal documents, they will contact the staff grant coordinator with Review Comments that will need to be addressed. This follow-up process can take a few days, in addition to the ‘seven full business days’ that SPO requires for their initial review, so be sure to take this into account in your timeline when noting the sponsor’s submission deadline.
Two additional campus resources that can be of help in grant proposal development are:
- Strategic Research Initiatives, which can assist faculty in developing quality, competitive proposals. Their staff is available to consult on agency fit, proposal narrative elements, give proposal reviews, and answer other program-related questions. You can contact a member of their team for support at: hasse@research.ucsb.edu.
- Spencer Lash, Director of Development, Foundation and Corporate Relations. Spencer can assist faculty interested in pursuing funding specifically from philanthropic foundations, especially related to a specific foundation grant program or foundation call for proposals. Spencer can help you strategize how best to engage with and put forward the most compelling funding requests to potential foundation partners. You can contact Spencer for support at: spencerlash@ucsb.edu.