Office of Sponsored Programs

We help the CMU community engage in high-quality research and sponsored activities by providing a range of helpful services.

We can help you with the following activities that support your research and scholarship at CMU:

Searching for funding sources

• Identify appropriate federal, state, foundation, and corporate funding opportunities and disseminate solicitations to interested faculty and staff.

Obtaining information about funding opportunities

• Obtain program guidelines, applications, abstracts of funded projects, and sample funded proposals.

PI support and training

• Make available grant writing workshops and other training opportunities.
• Provide travel funds for applicant visits with agency program officers or other collaborators.

Foster collaborations

• Identify faculty and staff with similar research and creative interests.
• Identify and organize teams seeking funding for large interdisciplinary projects.

Liaison with external agencies

• Assist with contact and arranging visits with appropriate agency program officers.
• Act as liaison with federal, state, and foundation funding agencies for pre-award information and support.

Guide proposal development

• Assist with the development or revision of proposals for external submission.
• Identify consultants and other experts within or outside CMU.
• Provide proposal review and editing.
• Compose letters of support.
• Engage internal and external grant writers on major grant projects.
• Obtain required assurances from CMU officials and external entities.
• Provide follow-up consultation toward the revision and resubmission of declined proposals, including obtaining and interpreting reviewer comments and contacting the agency for additional insights into the review process.

Support budget preparation

• Assist with budget development and assure funding requests align with CMU and sponsor guidelines.
• Assist with the development of budget narratives.
• Complete agency-specific budget forms.

Authorize proposals for submission

• Review proposals for conformance to agency and CMU guidelines.
• Provide guidance and support for the institutional approval process.
• Submit proposals to external agencies.

Post-award assistance

• Negotiate and initiate grant and contract awards.
• Assist in review and preparation of contract and subcontract documents.
• Obtain institutional approval for acceptance of awards.
• Act as liaison with Grant Accounting and other university departments to process awards and establish account numbers.
• Review payroll forms, independent contractor questionnaires, and purchase requisitions exceeding $5,000 to ensure expenditures align with funding guidelines.
• Assist with budget revisions, project extension requests, and other functions necessitating sponsor approval.
• Assist with authorization and submission of required reports.
• Act as liaison with IRB and IACUC for compliance with funded projects.

Faculty scholarship

• Work with faculty on inventions/ideas that have the potential for patent or commercial application.