The University of Oklahoma’s sponsored program activities are administered primarily by the Office of Research Services (ORS) and Research Financial Services. ORS has responsibility for pre- and post-award (non-financial) research administration at the University of Oklahoma – Norman Campus. ORS is the institutional unit authorized by the Board of Regents to submit proposals to and accept awards from external entities for financial support in the form of grants, contracts, and cooperative or other sponsored agreements. Proposals are routed to ORS and reviewed for compliance with applicable federal regulations. Upon notice of award receipt, awards/grants are again reviewed for compliance-related matters.
Post-award administration and financial support to principal investigators and sponsors are provided by the Research Financial Services (RFS). RFS is responsible for all activities concerning external and internal audits of sponsored program expenditures (including Federal awards provided to subrecipients) and the resolution of audit exceptions. It is the office assigned the responsibility of assuring compliance of cost sharing, effort reporting, cost allowance, and both direct and indirect facilities and administrative cost allocations.
Together, the Executive Director of ORS and the Assistant Vice President of RFS are the contacts for all audits of sponsored research and will function as University liaisons with external and internal auditors. The official, auditable financial records for sponsored research are maintained by RFS. The departments keep supporting records such as payroll and leave records, PCard expenditures, correspondence, and technical reports. The principal investigator is responsible for oversight of program activities staff, and if applicable, partner(s) and/or subrecipient(s).
The University’s compliance mechanism has several other areas of oversight, including but not limited to the Institutional Review Board (IRB) through the Office of Human Research Participants Protection (HRPP), the Institutional Animal Use and Care Committee (IACUC), the Radiation Safety Office and the Institutional Recombinant DNA (rDNA)/Biohazard Committee through the Environmental Health and Safety Office, and the Office of Export Controls.
