Policies, Procedures, RolesRoles and Responsibilities
McCormick Research Administration supports faculty with proposal submission and management of sponsored research at Northwestern University.
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- McCormick Research Administration
- McCormick Departments and Offices
- McCormick Office of Corporate Relations
- McCormick Faculty
- Other Northwestern Offices
- Who Can Help Me?
Research Administration Leadership
Director of Research Administration and Assistant Director of Research Administration
The McCormick Research Administration Office is responsible for the oversight of research administration in the School, which includes supervision of the Research Administrators, facilitating training initiatives, collaboration and coordination with external units (including SR and ASRSP) and working with the Deans to fulfill school initiatives.
Research Administrator (RA) and Associate Research Administrator (ARA)
Research Administrators assist faculty members in the department with all administrative aspects of proposal development. Research Administrators also serve as a resource for department staff on sponsored project award management.
McCormick Research Development Manager
The Research Development Manager supports the efforts of faculty to secure research funding and initiate and nurture partnerships within McC, NU, and with external stakeholders. The services provided by the Manager include assistance with the strategic planning and development of large-scale research projects and proposals, coordination with Northwestern’s Office of Research, support to Early Career investigators, and facilitation of team building and ideation workshops.
McCormick Departments and Offices
Departmental staff members are responsible for financial transactions on sponsored projects. They also assist faculty in the financial management of sponsored projects.
- Business Administrator (BA)
- Financial Administrators (FA)
- Financial Assistants (FA)
- Program Assistants (PA)
- Administrative Assistants (AA)
- Professor Lab Administrators
McCormick Office of Corporate Relations
The McCormick Office of Corporate Relations connects industry partners with McCormick talent (including students, faculty, and research institutes) to form innovative, collaborative relationships for research, education, and recruiting.
McCormick Faculty
Principal Investigator (PI)
The Principal Investigator is responsible for the design, conduct, and reporting of the research project. The Principal Investigator is also responsible for assuring research is conducted in accordance with federal regulations and University policies and procedures.
Other Northwestern Offices
Sponsored Research
Sponsored Research (SR) assists in proposal development, reviews and endorses proposals, negotiates agreements, and accepts awards on behalf of Northwestern University. They also assist in non-financial sponsored project management.
Office of Research Development
The Office of Research Development (ORD) identifies strategic funding opportunities, connects Northwestern University investigators to build effective teams, and coordinates large and complex proposals involving multidisciplinary research initiatives. They also coordinate funding agencies’ limited submission requests for proposals.
Office of Accounting Services for Research and Sponsored Programs
The Office of Accounting Services for Research and Sponsored Programs (ASRSP) is responsible (along with the PI) for financial reporting, invoicing, collecting revenue, coordinating audits, and processing transactions related to their sponsored projects.
Office of Cost Studies
The Office of Cost Studies provides analytical, cost accounting, and effort reporting expertise to the management of Northwestern University’s research enterprise.
Northwestern University Conflict of Interest Office
Northwestern University Conflict of Interest Office (COI) oversees and implements the University faculty and staff conflict of interest policies and procedures. They also ensure University compliance with applicable conflict of interest regulations, provide guidance and support to the University community regarding conflict of interest policies, systems, standards, and procedures, and administer and support the activities of University Conflict of Interest Committees.
Innovation and New Ventures Office
The Innovation and New Ventures Office (INVO) manages Northwestern University’s invention disclosure, assessment, patenting and marketing processes.
Office of Foundation Relations
The Office of Foundation Relations works with faculty and administrators who seek funding from private foundations by finding funders, providing guidance on writing, and planning foundation visits. They coordinate and track all foundation activity on behalf of Northwestern University.
Institutional Review Board
The Institutional Review Board (IRB) reviews, monitors, and approves human subject protocols for all research projects involving human research subjects..
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) tracks and manages animal subject protocols for all research, teaching, and testing involving animal subjects.
Who Can Help Me?
Contact the Research Administration Staff if you have a question about:
- Account Code Opening
- Allowability of Costs
- Award Status
- Computer Purchases
- F&A Waiver Requests
- Fabricated Equipment Requests
- No-Cost Extensions
- Non-Disclosure Agreements
- Out Year Funding
- PI Eligibility Request
- Pre-Spending Request
- Proposal Preparation
- Rebudgeting
- Space Requests
- SubAward Management
Contact the Departmental Staff if you have questions about:
- Award Balance
- Cost Share Award Management
- Deficit Resolution
- Discretionary Account Management
- Effort Certification Management
- Hiring Research Personnel
- Project Close-out
- Purchases and Reimbursement
- Track Released Funds
- Sponsored Research Salary Charging
Contact the Research Development Manager (Katya Klyachko via email) if you have any questions about:
- Identify of funding opportunities, collaborators, and other campus resources
- Proposal strategic planning and development
- Planning of ideation workshops
- Early Career faculty development
- Institutional Letters of Support