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.
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
Proposals
- 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
Awards
- 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
- Establish and maintain project accounts in the financial system
- 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.)
Subawards
- Assess potential subrecipients for risk
- Negotiate and execute subawards after ensuring compliance with sponsor requirements
- Create purchase orders in University financial system
- Monitor subrecipients
- Approve subaward invoices for payment (after PI review and approval)