The Research Office

Oakland University provides state-of-the-art research facilities and a rich, collaborative environment for our faculty and students in support of their research and educational activities. OU is recognized by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as one of the nation’s doctoral research universities. We are proud of the wide spectrum of research and other scholarly and creative activities made possible by the excellence of our faculty, students, facilities and institutional culture that is inclusive of all disciplines.

The Research Office provides the necessary administrative infrastructure for investigators, and strongly encourages the involvement of students in research. OU is committed to the highest ethical standards in the conduct of research, which are essential for sustaining an excellent research program that contributes to the well-being of our local, national and global communities. We assist with and oversee various aspects of the research enterprise, including: faculty development and training, research development, grants and contracts, regulatory compliance, technology and commercialization.

THE PRESIDENT'S EXECUTIVE ORDERS AND THE AFTERMATH - UPDATES
June 9, 2025
Updated NIH Processes for No-Cost Extensions (NCE link disabled)

You may have noticed that the automatic No-Cost Extension link in eRA Commons is no longer available. 

NIH has directed NIH staff to review all existing grants and cooperative agreements to ensure that NIH awards do not fund off-mission activities or projects. Therefore, temporarily disabling the NCE functionality in eRA Commons will allow NIH staff to review and assess all NCE requests to confirm that the activities proposed during the extension align with the NIH mission and agency priorities.

At this time, all requests for NCEs must be submitted as a prior approval request in eRA Commons, for NIH review and approval. Requests for activities that do not align with the NIH mission and agency priorities will not be approved.

Said another way, even first no-cost extensions are no longer guaranteed.  Moreover, the request itself elevates your award to a new level of scrutiny, this time for compliance with rules that were not in place when your award was made.  The Office of Sponsored Programs will, absolutely, continue to help you to seek an NCE if you need one.  Just, please, be intentional in your decision-making around this point.

The full text of the notice can be found here: NIH Notice

Where we have information pertinent to a particular PI, we will be contacting you directly.  And, of course, you should also feel free to reach out to us.  Use one of these email addresses and we will respond to you as soon as possible:
[email protected]
[email protected]

This e-space will be updated in real time as changes occur.  

CAYUSE SP, IRB HAVE A NEW URL
Cayuse SP (proposal preparation), Human Ethics (IRB), and Fund Manager (post-award grant management) have moved to the Cayuse integrated platform.  The new URL is:  http://oakland.app.cayuse.com.  Cayuse for IACUC/IBC can still be accessed with the old URL.  Links and more information are on the Cayuse Research Suite page.  Please contact our office if you have any issues.

SEED FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR OU FACULTY -- the Research Office is making funding available for small grants to OU faculty for three programs: 1) International Research Experiences for Students, 2) Professor Smith Goes to Washington, 3) New External Collaborations.  Submission is ongoing through InfoReady.

INFORMAL OPPORTUNITY FOR FACULTY TO TALK TO THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH:  Coffee with Dave weekly drop in hours