Research Administration
The following offices serve the community of research at the Duke University Medical Center by:
- Facilitating excellence in the conduct of research at Duke University and Duke University Medical Center
- Ensuring that our practices comply with the rules and guidelines of all relevant regulatory agencies
- Providing the highest level of service to our internal and external research customers
- Planning strategically for the challenges presented by our continually expanding research endeavors
Clinical Research Support Office
The Clinical Research Support Office (CRSO) provides key financial and administrative infrastructures for Duke-as-a-Site (DaaS) federal and non-federal clinical research projects at the School of Medicine and School of Nursing. The Office provides training and standardized policies and procedures for managing clinical research. It works closely to coordinate efforts with other entities such as the Duke Clinical Research Institute, Institutional Review Board (IRB), Office of Research Administration, Office of Corporate Research Collaboration, Office of Sponsored Programs, Research Cost Compliance and the Patient Revenue Management Organization.
The Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) exists to perform the post-award administration of sponsored projects at Duke University, for both campus and the Medical Center. OSP's mission is to safeguard project funds, maximize Duke's cash flow position, maintain good relations with sponsors and Duke personnel, and to be viewed by principal investigators and departmental administrators as facilitating the progress of their sponsored projects.
Office of Corporate and Venture Development
The Office of Corporate & Venture Development (CVD) is dedicated to facilitating the technology transfer process for Duke University and Duke University Medical Center intellectual property. CVD is responsible for commercially-sponsored research, patents and licenses, new venture activity, corporate gifts, and corporate vending relationships.
Office of Research Administration
The Office of Research Administration (ORA) is responsible for the institutional review and approval of all Duke University Medical Center externally sponsored research. ORA is responsible for all pre-award activities, as well as certain post-award activities. Proposals (except for construction and endowment proposals) are reviewed to determine that they comply with both agency and institutional guidelines, that budgets are accurate and consistent with clear and concise justifications, and that both direct and indirect costs are appropriately recovered. Likewise, ORA is responsible for negotiating and accepting grants and contracts, issuing subcontracts, serving as liaison to sponsors, and approving programmatic and budgetary changes (including new fund codes).
The Institutional Review Board (IRB) provides policies, procedures, and guidelines for clinical investigations involving human research subjects. Duke University Health System is committed to an on-going educational process for research investigators, as well as IRB members and staff, related to ethical concerns and regulatory and institutional requirements for the protection of human subjects.
Office of the Vice Dean for Research
The Office of the Vice Dean for Research is administratively responsible for several aspects of research operations at the School of Medicine. Areas of oversight include the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for the protection of human subjects in medical research, the Medical Center's Office of Research Administration, faculty affairs (through the Associate Vice Dean for Faculty Affairs), conflict of interest, and misconduct in research. The office can be of assistance in questions regarding institutional resources and "dry lab" (clinical research) space, and it will be increasingly involved in faculty mentoring. One component of the office seeks to match investigators and funding opportunities, and the office is also a good place to start when investigators have a new research idea and are looking for collaborators. The office (through the Administrative Development Group) is also responsible for the institutional research databases, including the Faculty Research Directory (FReD), the Research Executive (REX), and the Sponsored Projects System (SPS).
Office of the Vice Dean for Basic Science
Also serving the School of Medicine is the Office of the Vice Dean of Basic Science. This office serves as a liaison between the dean and basic science faculty. The Vice Dean of Basic Science works with department chairs and faculty to implement the School of Medicine's strategic initiatives concerning research and education. The Vice Dean is also the administrative head of the graduate program within the School of Medicine. As well, the Director of the Division of Laboratory Animal Resources reports directly to the Vice Dean.
