About Us

The Office of Research Administration (ORA) is a University-wide office authorized to submit proposals and receive awards from external sources on behalf of the Board of Trustees of the University of Maine System. ORA is also the fiduciary for the University of Maine on grant-related matters.

Leadership

Christopher Boynton is the Director of the Office of Research Administration (ORA) and the University of Maine’s Authorized Institutional Representative. In this capacity, Director Boynton has the authority to submit applications or proposals, negotiate, execute, and otherwise obligate the University on the resulting grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts for sponsored projects.

Who WE ARE & WHAT WE DO

Goals

Provide excellent customer service
Offer integrated research support services
Provide transparent research administration
Create efficient and streamlined internal processes
Reduce administrative burden
Educate faculty and staff knowledge related to research administration

Our Role

Review proposals for completeness and compliance with sponsor and university non-technical requirements
Approve and endorse proposals on behalf of the University

Submit proposals to sponsors
Manage electronic systems for proposal preparation, institutional approval, and submission to sponsors

Negotiate favorable terms on behalf of the principal investigator (PI) and the University (e.g., publication rights, intellectual property rights, rights in data, indemnification, payment terms, etc.)
Accept awards on behalf of the University

Resolve post-award issues (rebudgeting requests, change of PI, disputes with subrecipients, questions about allowability of costs, closeout, etc.)
Serve as institutional point of contact for questions raised by sponsors (e.g., adherence to terms and conditions, compliance with reporting requirements, etc.)

Assess potential subrecipients for risk
Negotiate and execute subawards after ensuring compliance with sponsor requirements

Monitor subrecipients
Approve subaward invoices for payment (after PI review and approval)

Establish and maintain project accounts in the financial system
Create purchase orders in University financial system
Sponsor invoice management

Provide support across all ORA teams to help resolve a variety of issues and situations (e.g. budget reallocations, cost transfers, budget revisions)
Financial reporting