The University of Oklahoma-Norman campus has specific procedures for the approval, execution, and management of externally funded projects including grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, and other research related agreements. All faculty and staff are expected to comply with the procedures summarized below.
All proposals and resulting agreements must be routed through the established approval process and signed by a designated university official. This is true regardless of whether the agreement is for services performed for public or private entities or is a public service. The Board of Regents designates annually the authorized officials at the university who may legally bind the university on their behalf. Only those persons designated by the Board of Regents are authorized to sign agreements on behalf of the university.
Agreements include contracts, letter agreements, affiliations, teaming agreements, memoranda of agreement/understanding, material transfers, non-disclosure/confidentiality agreements, licenses, consulting agreements, proposals that will be binding if accepted, amendments, modifications, equipment loans, and any other arrangement that obligates the university and/or its facilities, employees, or resources. For proposals that require electronic submission by the authorizing official, the deadline for that submission is 5 PM CST on the day of the agency deadline unless the Sponsor guidelines state an earlier time. Be aware that any exception to this deadline must be approved in advance by the Office of Research Services.
Agreements must be in place prior to commencing any work.
The Office of Research Services is here to assist you with this process. Should you have questions, contact Michael Purcell, Associate Vice President for Research and Partnerships and Executive Director, Office of Research Services, at mp@ou.edu. Questions regarding intellectual property issues such as licenses, material transfer agreements, and non-disclosure/confidentiality agreements may be directed to the Office of Technology Commercialization at otc@ou.edu.
Compliance is required without exception.
