GRADUATE STUDENT RESOURCES   

Finding Funding
Opportunities

Brown Technology Innovations

Office of Sponsored
Projects (OSP)

Office of Research
Integrity (ORI)

Research Administration 
Information Systems (RAIS)

The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR), led by Jill Pipher, advances the research enterprise at Brown by supporting our faculty and students in all aspects of their research activities from the conception of new ideas through the dissemination of the knowledge they create. We help find new funding opportunities, comply with regulations, manage awards, and commercialize research discoveries. Learn more about finding funding opportunities, resources available, and how the OVPR helps support graduate student research at Brown.

Finding Funding Opportunities

 libguides.brown.edu/grants

Grant Finding: Library Services and Support. This guide provides information about various products and services supported by the Brown University Libraries for grant finding. It also includes specific information for international students navigating SPIN and other databases. 

 grants.gov 

A searchable database of all discretionary grants offered by the 26 federal grant-making agencies.  You can create custom searches with regular email updates.

 bit.ly/GSPDopps

Short link to THE NEXT LEVEL, a database of funding opportunities for graduate students and postdocs, compiled by the Office of Foundation Relations and the Office of the Vice President for Research.

 bit.ly/GSExternalFunding

Short link to the Brown Graduate School’s External Funding Resources Page.

 brown.edu/go/NIH_NSF_IDs

Short link for obtaining an NIH eRA Commons or NSF FastLane ID. Sponsor agency system IDs needed when participating in and/or submitting proposals to these sponsors.

 bit.ly/RDGWNews 

Short link to view the current and archived issues of Research Development and Grant Writing News. This monthly electronic newsletter, offered through the Office of the Vice President for Research, offers strategies on how to compete successfully for research funding. Please note this material is copyrighted, but it is available through an institutional subscription, and requires Brown credentials to view.

 brown.edu/go/RA_NEWS

Short link to subscribe to the Research Administration Newsletter at Brown. The monthly newsletter providing timely information on agency updates; sponsor and University policy and procedural information; and guidance. Content for the newsletter is contributed from the offices under the Office of the Vice President for Research:  ORSD, IECV, OSP, ORI, and RAIS. 

Tips

  • Ask faculty, staff, and students in your department what the most common sources of external funding are in your field: these may be federal agencies, private foundations, or professional organizations and societies. You can also search for this information online.
  • For doctoral students and postdocs, external funding for research projects is often called a ‘fellowship’; there tend to be less external funding opportunities for master’s students.
  • Consider also searching for external funding for conference travel or workshops.
  • Visit the websites of funding agencies you are interested in to look for funding opportunities or sign up for e-mail and Twitter/social media alerts (offerings vary widely by agency).
  • Check with your department manager about Brown’s Office of Sponsored Projects requirements before you apply for external funding.

Accessing SPIN+ and How to Videos

1.    Log in from the  Library Page or at InfoEd.brown.edu using your Brown credentials. 

2.   At InfoEd Home Page Click SPIN

3.   You will be brought to SPIN+ Database

4.    To access online Training Videos Click Help > Training Videos

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5.   A number of online tutorials are available on the Help Page

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Brown Technology Innovations

Got an idea with commercial potential? Or do you want to learn more about industry and commercial interests in the kind of research you do?

Come talk with us!  Brown Technology Innovations (in the OVPR) builds strategic research collaborations aimed at sparking innovations of commercial interest to company partners, connecting companies to Brown faculty and researchers, students and entrepreneurs.

Brown Technology Innovations supports this mission through its three programmatic pillars: 

  1. Commercial Venturing:  We partner with Brown researchers to ascertain the market relevance of their discoveries, then forge the best strategy  for  transitioning from idea to impact and protecting intellectual property as appropriate in support of lab-to-market development plans;
  2. Industry Engagement:  We build strategic relationships with industry centered around research collaborations aimed at spawning innovations of commercial inter est to our company partners - while also connecting the companies to Brown faculty and researchers, students, entrepreneurs, and executive education programs;  and 
  3. Translational Development: We provide and manage translational development capabilities to help solidify proof of technical feasibility and of commercial relevance, both of which can de-risk an idea or discovery and turn it into more concrete product opportunities that are attractive to potential industry partners or startup creators.

Our Team

Neil Veloso, MPH, MBA, Executive Director, is the most senior officer in the University focused on commercializing Brown innovations through new venture creation, industry collaborations and licensing with strategic partners. Neil has spent two decades at the intersection of academic research, healthcare and commercialization. As a consultant and advisor, he worked with leading academic medical centers and institutions, private and public universities, and investors. Neil has held senior roles in commercialization as the Executive Director of technology transfer at Johns Hopkins University and a Senior Director at Cleveland Clinic Innovations. He has transactional experience in the fields of therapeutics, information technology, engineering and diagnostics with both established companies and venture-backed startups. Contact Neil if you are interested in partnering with industry to explore commercial pathways for your research.

Brian Demers, '85, Director of Business Development- School of Engineering and Physics. Brian Demers is an executive leader with proven results in developing and managing new business and technology ventures. Early in his career, Brian co-founded and was Vice President of Engineering at ViaDSP. After the company was acquired by NMS Communications, Brian stayed on in various roles including VP & General Manager of the Mobile Application business unit (subsequently spun out as Livewire Mobile). A Brown alum, Brian joined IECV in 2012. Contact Brian for support with commercial venturing inquiries regarding engineering and physics.

Len Katzman, JD,  Director of Business Development- Data and Computer Science. As an attorney and business development professional, Len fosters strategic collaborations with industry through licensing, sponsored research, and launching new ventures. Prior to joining Brown in 2007, Len was a business attorney concentrating on intellectual property law, technology transactions, business contract negotiations, corporate governance and business counsel. Len’s work is informed by a 15-year career in private industry as a software engineer and computer systems development professional in businesses ranging from startups to Fortune 100 companies. Len has a B.S. in Computer Science from the University of Rhode Island and a J.D., cum laude, from Rogers Williams University School of Law. Contact Len for support with commercial venturing inquiries regarding data and computing science or questions about intellectual property.

Betsy Stubblefield Loucks, '99, ScM, MBA, Communications and Partnerships. For the past twenty years, Betsy has been a strategist, communicator and facilitator for social ventures, non-profits, academic and government agencies that address public health, housing, and environmental sustainability. A Brown alum, she also has a Masters of Science in Social Epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health and an MBA in small business and sustainability from Concordia University (Montreal, QC). Contact Betsy if you are interested in cross-departmental collaborations on commercial opportunities or university-industry partnerships.

Karen Bulock, PhD Managing Director, Brown Biomedical Innovations-To-Impact Fund. Karen has over twenty years of experience in discovery, preclinical, and early stage clinical project management. Prior to coming to Brown in August 2018, she served as Vice President of Research at RXi Pharmaceuticals Corporation and as Associate Director of Research at Galena Biopharma, Inc. Karen has a PhD in Pharmacology from Yale University. Contact Karen for information about BBII awards to fund biomedical translational research projects and for support with translational research and commercialization of biomedical technologies.
 

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Office of Sponsored Projects

The Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) supports Brown University faculty, post-docs,  students and staff in the acquisition, performance, and administration of projects and programs funded by external sources. OSP provides the University's central coordination and oversight of research by offering a wide range of services including review and submission of proposals; award negotiation and acceptance; dissemination of research policy information to campus; issuance of subaward agreements and subrecipient monitoring; compliance with governmental and private funding agency standards; advising on financial management of sponsored projects, financial and expense reporting; cash management; effort reporting, and monitoring of cost-share arrangements; addressing financial and administrative issues that arise during the life of a sponsored project; coordination of award close-out process; and providing education and professional development opportunities in research administration for the campus community.   


Pre-Award and Post-Award Contacts can be found here.  Our informational brochure is available to download at this link.

Please note:  The University has a 5/3 day requirement for proposal submission.  Full guidance can be viewed at this link. The completed proposal is due to OSP or BioMed Research Administration (“BMRA” at the Medical School) five (5) business days before the sponsor deadline and the Principal Investigator (PI) can take an additional three (3) days to finalize the scientific and/or programmatic components of the application.

We look forward to working with you during your time at Brown.  

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Office of Research Integrity

Graduate Students

Brown’s Office of Research Integrity (ORI) supports the Brown research community by providing guidance, education and resources to facilitate the conduct of ethical research in accordance with governing federal and state regulations and University policies. Click on the links below for more information about the research activities you may be engaging in, and the resources you may need access to as a graduate student at Brown:

There are several avenues available to report compliance and integrity concerns:

Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training requirements:

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) require RCR training for early career investigators, defined differently be each sponsor:

  • NIH: NIH requires that “all trainees, fellows, participants, and scholars receiving support through any NIH training grant, career development award (individual or institutional), research education grant, or dissertation research grant must receive instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR).”

  • NSF: The National Science Foundation (NSF) requires that “the institution provide appropriate training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of research to undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers who will be supported by NSF to conduct research.”

Other sponsors beyond NIH and NSF may also require RCR education; it’s important for you to work with your mentor/Principal Investigator to understand whether there are terms and conditions on any awards supporting work you’re participating in regarding RCR training. Brown offers several courses and resources to assist you with complying with this regulatory requirement. Please review our RCR FAQs for more information.

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Research Administration Information Systems 

The RAIS team provides services to the research community for all electronic systems and data overseen by OVPR and Workday Grants.  This includes: proposal creation in Brown's electronic grants management system (COEUS) and external electronic systems such as eRA Commons, Research.gov, and Grants.gov;  Conflict of Interest disclosures and IACUC protocol development in InfoEd; as well as IRB protocol management in Coeus. 

RAIS delivers in-depth business intelligence solutions to the Brown community through reporting, visualizations, and workflow notifications for departments and senior management.  In addition, this group is leading the development and implementation of a new integrated electronic system managing grant development, submission and management and IRB protocol development and management. 

For information on how to prepare and submit your Conflict of Interest and Lab Animal Protocols in InfoEd, please visit our InfoEd Knowledge Center

For information on how to prepare and submit a proposal using our electronic submission system, COEUS, please visit the COEUS Knowledge Center

Stay up to date with updates to all systems supported by the Research Administration and Information Systems & Reporting (RAIS) team with our newsletter, ERAF.  

 

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