Effective October 2, 2024, OVPR’s name is being transitioned to the Division of Research, and its new website models a move toward streamlining our administrative processes, making it easier for faculty to conduct research and for staff to support the research enterprise.

The Division of Research continues to strengthen the ways it supports researchers at every stage of their research projects, helping to reduce the complexity and administrative workload of conducting research. The Division helps researchers identify and navigate funding and financial support for research. The Division will continue its commitment to helping to pave the way for faculty success in all aspects of research, including communication about the impact of the University’s research and its researchers, and collaborating regularly with advocacy groups to streamline the implementation of research-related laws and regulations. Its new website reflects this integrated, holistic approach to supporting research across Brown.

The renaming better aligns Brown with university peers, and also recognizes the myriad critical resources needed to support the multi-faceted, collaborative nature of research at Brown. The Division of Research at Brown aims to make the research process less complex by supporting individuals and teams at every stage of research – developing research strategies and identifying funding opportunities, submitting proposals, negotiating agreements and contracts, and facilitating entrepreneurial ventures. The Division does all of this work while also protecting intellectual property, managing conflicts of interest, ensuring support for integrity in research, and maintaining compliance with state and federal regulations.

The many support teams within the Division of Research will drop the “Office of” from their names to recognize the Division’s role as an integrated team of experts, consultants and partners throughout the research process. Research support services include:

• Brown Technology Innovations (BTI) supports the commercialization of technology and research discoveries made by Brown faculty and researchers;
• Research Administration Information Systems (RAIS) supports all electronic research administration systems and reporting related to those systems for the university;
• Research Agreements and Contracting (RAC) is responsible for drafting, negotiating and managing non-financial contracts and agreements in support of research;
• Research Communications serves the multifaceted communications needs of the Division, publicizing its services, as well as supporting promotion of the research, innovation, expertise and scholarship of Brown researchers;
• Research Integrity partners with the research community to facilitate ethical research guided by governing policies and regulations;
• Research Operations provides specialized administrative and operations support across the Division;
• Research Strategy and Development (RSD) collaborates with the research enterprise and faculty to identify research funding opportunities, perform strategic planning, and develop grant proposals;
• Research Training Programs (RTP) oversees the learning operations and strategy development for Brown’s research enterprise; and
• Sponsored Projects, including Pre-Award Services, Post-Award Services, Research Subcontracting, Research Financial Compliance and Grant and Contract Compliance, supports faculty, students and staff in the acquisition, performance and administration of research projects and programs funded by external sources.

I encourage you to learn more about the Division of Research and its services by visiting our new website at division-research.brown.edu, and to reach out to us at vp_research@brown.edu for strategic planning and support as we work together to further our collective impact in service of Brown’s research mission.

Sincerely,

Greg Hirth, Professor of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences, Interim Vice President for Research