Office of Sponsored Projects
The Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) provides assistance to faculty in ensuring that research complies with institutional and federal standards, beginning with proposal preparation and review, award negotiation, and extending throughout the performance of the research and into evaluation and reporting of research project results, expenditures, and intellectual property. OSP screens the latest available public documents to locate new funding sources, and disseminates information on these opportunities through publications and sponsor announcements. It also provides access to SPIN (Sponsored Programs Information Network)], an extensive database of external funding opportunities for research projects.

Research Protections Office
Any researcher who wishes to work with human subjects must submit a protocol for approval by the IRB prior to beginning such a project. The Research Protections Office (RPO) staff provides administrative support and information to researchers in the process of preparing protocols for presentation to the IRB.  

Biomed Research Administration
The Biomed Research Administration (BMRA) office works with researchers from Brown’s Division of Biology and Medicine to assist with pre-award and post-award needs. Pre-Award management provides information on sources of support and funding; assists faculty with application submission; and assures compliance with University and federal regulations, as well as sponsors' policies and requirements. Pre-award staff also communicates with the Brown biomedical research community to clarify University policies and procedures for faculty and sponsors.

Post-Award management is responsible for overseeing the financial management of sponsored programs. The staff maintains accounting records and reports and assures compliance with University and sponsors’ financial provisions. In the event of an audit, post-award management also assists with resolution.

Research Compliance
Research compliance encompasses a wide variety of issues including human subjects in research; use of animals; conflicts of interest; misconduct in research; authorship decisions; mentoring; and access to and retention of data.   Identifying and managing compliance concerns in any given research project can be difficult, but research administration staff can help to clarify University, Federal, and specific agency  policies.

The Research Compliance Network (RCN), a collaboration of Brown University staff with responsibility for regulatory and policy compliance across the campus has been assembled to develop a coherent approach to assuring compliance throughout the University’s research environment.

Resources for Postdoctoral Researchers
A recently completed report by the Ad Hoc Committee on Postdoctoral Researchers made recommendations for significantly increased resources and benefits for postdocs at Brown. Career and professional development programs, mentoring, and improved distribution of information relevant to Brown’s postdoctoral researcher community are some of the developments on the horizon. The Brown University Postdoctoral Association (BUPA) is an important campus advocate for postdoctoral researchers.