Pre-award grant services for Vanderbilt University researchers are being consolidated into a single, central office.
The new Office of Sponsored Programs will combine many of the services currently provided by separate grants teams in the Medical Center’s Office of Grants and Contracts Management (OGCM) and the central University’s Division of Sponsored Research (DSR).
As of Aug. 15, the new office will be located on the third floor of the Sony/BMG office building at 1400 18th Ave. S., adjacent to The Commons.
“After a very thoughtful and deliberate review process, the institutional leadership team concluded that Vanderbilt’s extraordinary research community, including faculty and administrators, will benefit from having one organization on campus whose mission is to provide pre-award support,” said John W. McDaniel Jr., associate vice chancellor for academic affairs.
Clint Brown, assistant director of DSR, and Jennifer Taylor, assistant director for Grants in OGCM, will serve as interim co-directors of the new office, which will be overseen by John F. Manning Jr., associate vice chancellor for health affairs and chief administrative officer for the Medical Center.
The consolidation is partially in response to the increasing number of cross-campus collaborative research projects involving multiple schools and colleges within the university. For such projects, it will provide greater integration in pre-award grant services, improved data collection and university-wide reporting capabilities. Staffing efficiencies will also be gained by merging the two offices. No jobs will be lost as a result of the move.
Contract services will be provided separately by the renamed Office of Contracts Management (formerly OGCM) for the Medical Center, and the Office of Contract and Research Administration (formerly DSR) for the central University. These offices will remain in their current locations, 3319 West End Ave. (Crystal Terrace), Suite 100, and 937 Baker Building (110 21st Ave. S.), respectively.
Current DSR Director John Childress will direct the Office of Contract and Research Administration for University contracts as well as the Export Compliance Program, reporting through Dennis G. Hall, vice provost for research and dean of the Graduate School.
Current OGCM Director Libby Salberg will direct the Office of Contracts Management for Medical Center contracts, reporting through Gordon Bernard, associate vice chancellor for research and senior associate dean for clinical sciences.
“Combining these (grant) offices creates a one-university approach toward providing service excellence for researchers across the entire university,” Manning said. “As we go through the process of integrating the offices, the goal is to provide a seamless transition. Once completed, the new combined office will allow for enhanced cross-campus coordination and improved data tracking.”