Sponsored Programs
Mission
The Sponsored Programs Office assists the campus research community in its efforts to secure extramural funding while promoting proper stewardship of those funds.
What We Do
The Office of Research Sponsored Programs office at UC Davis supports campus researchers and their staff with a variety of extramural funding transactions. This office is responsible for the effective and timely handling of all research proposals, as well as preparing, interpreting, negotiating, and accepting agreements on behalf of the Regents for projects funded by federal and state agencies, foundations, and other public and private sources. The office is also responsible for drafting, negotiating, and executing awards and subawards for collaborative research. Dedicated analysts within the Sponsored Programs office carry out these duties. Each analyst is part of a team (led by a Contracts and Grants Officer) and is assigned to focus on either proposals or awards/subcontracts for a set of schools and/or colleges. To ensure a depth of knowledge in the department, analysts are encouraged to cross-train in both proposals and awards/subcontracts.
Learn More:
- Customer Service in Sponsored Programs
- Contracts & Grants Analysts
- Sponsored Programs Organizational Chart
- Important Contracts & Grants Administration Links
- How we Work with the UC Davis Campus Community
- Contact Us
Customer Service in Sponsored Programs
In addition to their specific duties, Sponsored Programs analysts also serve as the point of contact for a variety of customer groups, including sponsors, other UC Davis research units, faculty, and department staff. It is the philosophy of the Sponsored Programs office that providing high quality customer service is essential to ensuring positive and long lasting work relationships, both on and off the UC Davis campus. The staff in Sponsored Programs communicates with each of the customer groups to ensure that they understand the complex terms, conditions, and requirements that arise during the extramural funding process.
Contracts and Grants Analysts
Proposal Processing
Analysts on the proposal teams work to make sure that the proposals submitted by UC Davis researchers are approved in a timely manner and reach sponsors prior to submission deadline. This often means working under high-pressure deadlines, with a high volume of submissions. To increase the competitiveness of each proposal, these analysts also work to ensure that each proposal meets sponsor and UC institutional requirements. This review and approval process includes items such as completion of sponsor required legal attestations, budget review (including justification of expenses in compliance with federal and University guidelines), confirmation of Principal Investigator (PI) eligibility, indirect cost rate analysis, human subjects and vertebrate animals compliance, and subcontracting of project tasks to an external entity.
When reviewing proposals, the analysts on proposal teams also study the sponsors’ terms and conditions to identify any areas where the terms or conditions may not meet the mission or regulations of the University. These may include unusual intellectual property related terms or restrictions, citizenship restrictions, or other sponsor terms requiring negotiation or notation in the proposal cover page. If necessary, proposal analysts work in consultation with the Sponsored Programs Executive Director, UC Davis InnovationAccess, or the UC Office of the President to identify and resolve the issue(s). In some cases, they secure PI concurrence to allow the proposal to be submitted on time.
Proposal analysts also work with Principal Investigators and department staff to process post-proposal transactions, such as budget modifications and sponsor “Just-In-Time” information requests. Being a proposal analyst means working in a dynamic environment where you use your experience and customer service skills to help UC Davis researchers submit competitive proposals to fund world-renowned research and other projects.
Awards Processing
The Sponsored Programs office is the authorized institutional representative for accepting, on behalf of the Regents, extramural funds supporting research at the Davis campus of the University of California. In this role, the office is responsible for ensuring that extramural funding coming to UC Davis helps to fulfill the UC and UC Davis missions. The analysts on the awards teams must work to bring in the maximum number of extramural dollars while preserving the rights of The Regents, University, and researchers. Awards analysts review terms and conditions of each funding agreement to ensure conformity and compliance with the mission or regulations of the University. They then negotiate any nonconforming term or condition with the Sponsor with the aim of reaching an acceptable agreement.
In addition to reviewing and negotiating awards, these analysts also process post-award transactions, such as no-cost time extensions and budget modifications. This work allows researchers at UC Davis to adapt to changing needs in their research. Processing these transactions requires a thorough review of each award’s terms and conditions to determine when and what changes are allowed, as well as the proper procedure for requesting the change. Awards analysts are also responsible for issuing subawards to other businesses and institutions, writing service agreements for non-research related contracts, and negotiating and executing research-related non-disclosure agreements. These multi-faceted positions require an in-depth understanding of University policy, trained negotiation skills, and the ability to maintain the highest level of customer service in a dynamic environment.
Sponsored Programs Organizational Chart
View the most current organizational chart for Sponsored Programs, including reporting structure.
Important Contracts & Grants Administration Links
Learn More About How We Work With the UC Davis Campus Community
Partnering with You on Proposals Brochure (PDF)
Partnering with You on Awards Brochure (PDF)
