Sponsored Research

West Chester University

Filano Hall, Room 205
West Chester, PA 19383
610-436-3557
fax: 610-436-2689
mgagne@wcupa.edu


Pre-Award Services Offered

Purpose: The OSR is responsible for assisting University faculty, staff, and administration in the acquisition of external funding for scholarship, research, and other creative projects; representing the University in pre-award transactions with funding sponsors; and acting as a liaison between project directors, sponsors, and administration in its effort to support the scholarly community.

Pre-award Administration of Sponsored Projects

In the pre-award stage of the grant process, the researcher is developing a proposal to submit to a sponsor for funding consideration. The Office provides support for all aspects of pre-award administration, including:

  • Sponsor Identification. The OSR will be happy to assist you in locating appropriate funding sources, federal, state, local or private. In addition, we have access to the following sources of information. If you would like assistance in accessing any of the following databases, please do not hesitate to ask.
  • Available Databases
    • The Foundation Center Database
      A commercial database that contains records for all known active foundations in the United States as well as records for direct corporate giving programs.
    • www.Grants.gov
      A government database that lists announcements from all federal agencies. Interested faculty may subscribe to Grants.gov's listserve which sends out federal funding notifications on an almost daily basis

Proposal Development

The Office assists the researcher in the following areas.

  • Developing budgets.
  • Verifying matching or cost-sharing agreements.
  • Ensuring the application of correct indirect cost rates.
  • Ensuring compliance with University and government regulations such as those involving human subjects, animal welfare, hazardous substances, conflict of interest, and intellectual property policies.
  • Upon request, reviewing and critiquing drafts of a proposal.
  • Approving the final budget and ensuring that proposals are routed for appropriate signatures and meet specified deadlines.

Electronic and Paper Submissions

  • The Office will work with the PI to process and complete all forms and documents required for electronic submission.
  • If a paper submission is required, the Office will make the appropriate number of copies, ensuring that all required forms and information are present. The Office will mail the proposal via overnight mail to the agency.

Workshops

The Office offers entry level workshops on special topics such as Proposal Submission Process, Preparing a proposal for the Faculty Development Committee Grant, Budget Issues and Searching the Internet for Funding. In addition, outside agencies of NSF and NIH are invited to offer advanced workshops. The Office also sponsors faculty grant roundtable discussion to invite faculty to share their grant search experiences. The Office is more than willing to offer a workshop upon the request of a group at the University who expresses a particular need.

Student Research Day

The Office administers an Award for Student Research and Creative Activities. Undergraduate students write and submit proposals for scholarly/creative projects under the sponsorship of a faculty mentor. Awards are offered each academic year and recipients are invited to present their activities at the university research day.

Patent and Copyright Development

WCU does not have a Technology Transfer Office. However, there is one at PASSHE in collaboration with the Penn State Research Foundation. Please work with the OSR when developing patent or copyright applications. We will work with the PASSHE system legal office and contract with external agencies as needed for the research and development of patents. Issues pertaining to patent, copyright, and all intellecutal property development should be directed to the attention of Dr. Michael Ayewoh, Associate VP for Sponsored Research (610-436-3592 or mayewoh@wcupa.edu)

For more information please review:
Student Processes for Tech Transfer (PDF)
Student Intellectual Property Guide (PDF)
Tech Transfer Faculty Training (PDF)
Tech Transfer Faculty Guide (PDF)
Tech Transfer Guide FAQ (PDF)

Copyright information - Library of Congress

Contract Review

All contracts for sponsored projects must be cleared through the Office