Contacts:
Kathryn Zimmerman, Ph.D., Interim Assistant Vice President of Corporate & Foundation Relations and Career Services (CFR)
Thomas Meischeid, Director, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP)
The administrative offices facilitating this discussion share the goals of increasing the amount and quality of research activity at Lehigh. OVPR exists to advance the scholarly research of individual faculty members, as well as to coordinate research-related activities through government-funded sponsored research or in partnership with other universities. ORSP reports to OVPR and will most likely be the office to submit your research proposal. CFR is responsible for coordinating corporate and foundation fundraising for the university.
For most of your research projects, OVPR is the first office you will contact.
OVPR works with the four colleges to establish research priorities and set research strategies. OVPR helps to identify potential funding sources, arrange visits to federal funders, and find potential collaborators at Lehigh and within the community. For example, OVPR might help you obtain a fellowship during your faculty leave, find funds for a book project, or identify federal and state grant opportunities and the partners you will most likely need to strengthen your proposal. OVPR project budgets range from a few hundred to several million dollars.
ORSP, which reports to OVPR, can help you review your proposal guidelines, prepare the budget and budget notes, and submit your proposals. Almost all research proposals are sent through ORSP, and therefore you should be sure to be in touch with them no later than two weeks prior to the deadline for submission. ORSP can also help you set up your profiles on a variety of research databases to help you find funding opportunities directly.
CFR works with projects identified by the deans and provost as broad institutional priorities and manages Lehigh’s overall relationships with key corporations and foundations. CFR generally works most closely with projects that extend beyond a specific faculty research project, though faculty research may be a component of a larger institutional project.
Sponsored research projects must be brought to the attention of your department chair before contacting any of the above offices. If the project involves cost-sharing, liability, or any other commitment on the part of the University, you must consult with your department chair and Dean first.
In most cases, you will need to contact CFR before approaching corporations or foundations, since your approach for funding may conflict with other university requests to the same funder. There are a few significant exceptions, however. Direct research relationships with colleagues at corporations are more appropriately managed through ORSP, and foundation-sponsored programs designed to support individual faculty research (these often take the form of annual competitions) are best managed through the OVPR. You may want to keep CFR informed of these relationships, however, since it may be possible to advocate the project through existing relationships.
OVPR encourages faculty members to seek federal funding through major funding agencies like NSF, NEH, NASA, and NIH directly. However, OVPR can help you set up meetings with program officers or legislators and state/federal cabinet-held agency representatives, where appropriate.
After consulting with your chair and dean, set up a meeting with OVPR to discuss the scope, scalability, and funding potential of your project. As you refine the general project description, OVPR will research various opportunities on your behalf. Once sources are identified and a timeline is established, ORSP can help you get the proposal out the door in time.
