The University of Georgia Office of Research has rebranded two of its divisions: the Office for Proposal Enhancement (OPE) is now known as the Office of Strategic Research Development (OSRD), and the Human Subjects Office has been renamed the Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) Office.
Both rebranding initiatives were effective as of January 1.
Established in 2015, OSRD was created to assist in acquiring funding for extensive and intricate interdisciplinary research endeavors. Jake Maas, who has been the director since 2016, recognized the difficulties and competition faced by UGA researchers in securing these grants. He assembled a team aimed at enhancing funding proposals for faculty—especially those intended for substantial and/or collaborative awards.
Despite considerable growth since its inception, Maas felt the original name inadequately represented the office’s functions.
“To my knowledge, there are no other offices labeled ‘proposal enhancement’ anywhere globally,” he remarked. “However, ‘Office of Strategic Research Development’ is a recognized title for offices performing similar work. We may lose our distinctiveness, but we will gain a more precise description.”
In addition to the name alteration, OSRD is rethinking its strategy for major grant applications. Maas and his team intend to meet periodically with department leaders, deans, and center heads to formulate strategies that will support their programs in growth and achievement of specific objectives through external funding.
“Our goal is to cultivate those internal connections to collaboratively secure large grants for the university,” he stated.
The HRPP Office supervises research involving human participants. It offers training regarding human research, evaluates projects that include human subjects, and carries out quality assurance measures to ensure that all human research adheres to legislation and guidelines.
Director Kim Fowler indicated that the office is changing its name to distance itself from the term “subjects” when addressing individuals who volunteer for research initiatives. Rather, Fowler and her team are striving to incorporate the term “participant” into their practices.
“They aren’t just passive recipients of actions taken upon them, which is the implication of the term ‘subject’,” she noted. “Multiple studies have shown that the term ‘subject’ fails to respect the individuals participating in human research.”
Only the title of the HRPP Office will be modified; its operations and programs will remain unchanged. While the unit will begin to include the term “participant” in UGA policies, the previous terminology will still be used in certain contexts to comply with federal standards.
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