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Keck School of Medicine of USC

Office of Research Administration

Empowering Research Excellence

The Office of Research Administration (ORA) helps research faculty and their administrators succeed by staying compliant and taking full advantage of available resources throughout the sponsored research grant lifecycle. ORA manages grants and contracts and works with the research community to ensure that research complies with University, Federal, State, and Private Sponsor policies. It is the point of contact for faculty to get approval from the Dean for grant or contract submissions, exceptions to F&A rates, advance funding, pre-award costs, cost sharing, and transfer of unexpended fixed price contract balances. ORA also provides administrative support to Keck School select basic sciences departments. ORA is here to help research teams navigate the complex world of research administration and ensure that projects are compliant with all applicable regulations.

Pre-and Post-Award

The Office of Research Administration helps research faculty and their administrators submit grants and manage grants post-award. It can help you:

  • Develop a grant budget
  • Verify salary information for faculty and staff
  • Verify fringe benefit rate and indirect cost rates
  • Obtain subcontract information and verify department cost share information
  • Assemble and coordinate large/complex grant applications
  • Assist with exception requests
  • Assist with Sponsored Projects Accounting (SPA) expense transfers
  • Review progress report submissions including verification of effort
  • Assist Principal Investigators with subcontract establishment
Explore Pre- and Post-Award Resources

Policies and Procedures

The Office of Research Administration helps administer Keck School of Medicine policies and procedures and helps school employees navigate university policies. It also makes available a number of common forms related to doing research within the Keck School and USC and can help you complete forms like the Transfer of Research Grant and Proposal Approval in Kuali Coeus.

Explore Keck School and USC Policies and Procedures
Find the Form You Need
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Research Compliance Help

ORA works with the USC Office of Compliance to ensure that grants are properly charged and that faculty disclose their outside interests related to research.

Contact ORA for Research Compliance Help