About Us

OSP Mission

To ignite and support Seattle University's externally funded research, scholarship, and service endeavors. 

Vision

• To be known as a collaborative, creative partner in service to the university community
• To give vision and voice for sponsored projects in university strategic planning
• To act as professional mentors and role models in the field of grant and research administration
• To provide dynamic, relevant, and responsive information, tools, and resources

Values

• Care: We care for the university’s sponsored project funding by following best practices and promoting the highest ethical standards in our role as compliance officers. We care for the faculty, staff, and students who work with us by demonstrating responsive and effective customer service.
• Cultivate: We cultivate grant writing knowledge and skills by providing professional development resources and training. We equip faculty and staff with effective tools to write successful proposals and manage sponsored project funding.
• Collaborate: We collaborate to exchange ideas, solve problems, strategize funding goals, and facilitate partnerships across functional areas, disciplines, and institutions.
• Communicate: We communicate outcomes, celebrate achievements, and increase visibility of the university’s sponsored project and research activities.

The Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) assists faculty and staff in the pursuit and management of external funding. OSP is also responsible for ensuring compliance with federal regulations and laws, sponsor-specific guidelines, and the policies and procedures of Seattle University.  We serve the SU community by guiding all faculty and staff through the Sponsored Project Lifecycle.

Pre-Award Services

• Prospecting for grant opportunities
• Determining eligibility for funding
• Interpreting sponsor guidelines
• Creating a proposal preparation timeline and checklist
• Providing institutional information and documentation
• Assisting in budget development
• Facilitating institutional review and approval

Post-Award Services

• Negotiation and acceptance of new awards
• Requesting a new financial account for the external funds to be tracked
• Orienting the sponsored project staff with the award’s terms and conditions and related SU policies and procedures
• Facilitating requests and communication with the sponsor, as needed
• Providing guidance regarding compliance with awards 
• Reviewing sponsor-required reports prior to submission

OSP and the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations

The Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP), based in Academic Affairs, and the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations (CFR), based in University Advancement, share a collaborative relationship in the pursuit and management of privately-funded sponsored projects. OSP is primarily responsible for ensuring compliance with sponsor guidelines and policies, as well as university policies, procedures and approval processes. CFR is primarily responsible for building relationships between Seattle University and corporations and foundations, which may often result in grants for specific faculty research or programs at SU.

It is when SU faculty and staff explore, pursue and are awarded grants from privately-funded sponsors that OSP and CFR's relationship intersects. The below diagram can assist in understanding the relationship between OSP and CFR.