Mission Statement
The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) at University of San Diego (USD) provides quality service and support to the USD community. Our team partners with faculty, administrators, and graduate students, assisting them from initial proposal development and budget preparation, to the submission of innovative, high quality, competitive proposals. After an award, OSP collaborates with internal and external partners to support the non-financial administration of the award, culminating in the project closeout. We are committed to advancing academic excellence by facilitating and sustaining a growing research enterprise.
Vision Statement
The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) envisions a thriving research community where faculty are empowered to pursue innovative, impactful, externally funded work — supported every step of the way by expert guidance, a commitment to excellence, and non-financial award management that extends from negotiation and acceptance through the life of the award.
Key Services Provided
Pre-award: Proposal Development, Budget Development and Submission
OSP’s primary and most visible mission is to serve the University community in the successful pursuit of external funds to support research and campus programs. Our office collaborates with faculty through every step of the pre-award process to submit highly competitive proposals:
- Interpretation and application of funding guidelines
- Detailed development of every element of the proposal and budget
- Compliance review to ensure requirements put forth by USD and external sponsors are met
Compliance, Contracts and Reports
Once an award is received, OSP is responsible for the following non-financial support activities:
- Negotiation, acceptance, and approval of grant/contract terms
- Set up of subawards and independent contractor agreements
- Closeout and retention of award data and documentation
OSP and Foundation Relations Working Together
External funding is critical to furthering existing research endeavors and initiating new avenues of teaching and scholarship. To meet these challenges, Foundation Relations (FR) and OSP staff members work together to lend visible and vital support to USD’s applicants. Grant-seeking faculty and administrators benefit from an effective collaborative search process shared by FR and OSP.
OSP and Grants Accounting Coordinated Award Management
OSP and Grants Accounting work together to review administrative processes and timelines unique to each project. An initial transition meeting with the PI serves as a valuable resource that details the management of all awards and explains the roles and responsibilities of both departments.