The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) assists faculty and staff in applying for extramural funding primarily, though not exclusively, through government agencies. The office provides services at all stages of the proposal submission and pre-award processes, including: project conceptualization and development; assistance with writing, research, and editing; connections with other academic institutions, government and community agencies, and businesses and industry; proposal technical preparation and submission; and budget preparation. ORSP also negotiates all sponsored program agreements and contracts. The office is located on the third floor of the Cal State L.A. Administration Building, Rooms 301 and 302. Telephone: (323) 343-5366. Fax: (323) 343-6430.

The Office of Grants and Contracts at Cal State L.A. University Auxiliary Services, Inc. (UAS) assumes fiscal administrative duties, when a notice of grant award is received or a contract is executed. UAS is located on the third floor of the Cal State L.A. administration building, Room 307. Telephone: (323) 343-4970. Throughout the handbook, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs will be referred to as "ORSP" and Cal State L.A., University Auxiliary Services, Inc. will be referred to as "UAS." For information concerning gifts, please contact the University Development Office.

A grant is an award of financial assistance for the performance of work envisioned by the University or the principal investigator. Grant award documents typically have line item budgets and set forth requirements, such as audits and financial reporting. Indirect costs will be in accordance with University policy, unless the sponsor publishes its own unallowable indirect costs or the sponsor is a non-profit entity with written policies restricting the indirect cost rate. ORSP reviews and submits grant proposals for the University and is responsible for negotiating all grant awards. Grant proposals are signed by UAS. If an award is made, ORSP transfers the proposal file to the UAS Office of Contracts and Grants.

Contracts and Agreements provide funds in exchange for a specific or detailed scope of work as defined by the sponsor. The principal purpose of the contract is to provide tangible research results, reports or other deliverables, or to carry out a prescribed service for the direct benefit or use of the sponsor. Contracts and Agreements are like a procurement (purchasing) activity of the sponsor. Typically, they incorporate strict terms related to fiscal management (less flexible than grants), financial and technical reports, period of performance, ownership of intellectual property, publication rights, and audit provisions. Research agreements and contracts to support research, training and public service are negotiated by ORSP, and signed by the University. UAS serves as the fiduciary.

Some grants, contracts, and other agreements include provisions for transferring a substantive portion of the programmatic work (along with funds to support the work) from the primary award recipient to one or more secondary recipients. These subcontracts typically include the same terms and conditions that appear in the prime award from the sponsor. ORSP negotiates subcontracts when CSULA is the secondary recipient (subcontractor) and UAS negotiates subcontracts when CSULA is the primary award recipient. The University signs all subcontracts. UAS serves as the fiduciary.

Cooperative Agreements are used for awards similar to grants. However, unlike grants, substantial programmatic involvement or coordination by the sponsor (usually a federal agency) is anticipated during the project. ORSP is responsible for negotiating cooperative agreements. The University signs asn administers the agreement, with UAS serving as the fiduciary.

Gifts or donations are irrevocable awards of money or other tangible assets provided by a donor and not requiring a line item budget. Please contact the University Development Office for further explanation of gifts. Only gifts made with contractual requirements such as financial reporting, return of unexpended balances, and/or progress reports are classified as grants or contracts, routed through ORSP, and administered by the UAS Office of Contracts and Grants.