New UB Faculty: Jumpstart Your Research and Creative Activity

Welcome, new UB faculty. Here are some quick links and tips to help get your research started.

On this page:

Research Practices in Schools

Your associate deans for research can help with the research practices in your units. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What constitutes sponsored research and creative activity at UB?

Grants are resources given to organizations for stated purposes or activities to be carried out without substantial sponsor involvement.

Cooperative Agreements establish relationships between organizations and sponsors, in which both parties pursue stated goals or activities. You can expect substantial sponsor involvement with these agreements.

Contracts  are negotiated procurements that correlate with a sponsoring agency's specific goals, usually outlined in a formal announcement.

Principal Investigators - eligibility and responsibilities

What are the differences between grants, collaborative agreements and contracts?

Characteristic Grant  Cooperative Agreement Contract

Basic Purpose

Provide Assistance with few restrictions

Provide assistance with substantial involvement between parties

Procure tangible goods or services

Solicitation Method

Application kit or guidelines

Request for proposals

Request for bid or quote

Award Instrument

Short, may refer to general conditions

Describes involvement, party relationships

Long, detailed specs, clauses, regulations and expected results

Involvement by Sponsor

Generally, none

Substantial involvement

May be extensive

Rebudgeting Flexible

Usually allowed

Occasionally allowed within restrictions

Equipment Title

Grantee Varies Contractor

Patent Rights

Generally liberal

May be involved

Provision in contract

Publication Unrestricted

May ask to be informed

May require prior review/deletion of proprietary information

Technical

Annual summary report

Frequent reports

Detailed, often monthly

Whom should I contact about research and creative activity at UB?

The associate deans for research in your college or school are a good first stop. Department chairs and senior faculty make good colleagues and mentors as well as assisting with professional connections outside UB.

Consider the following resources to help further your research activities:

How can I find funding?

There are various funding sources. Grants.gov serves as a clearinghouse for federal grants. Limited submission grants (those in which an institution can submit only one or two proposals) must be reviewed and selected before being submitted. UB and SUNY grants which are usually seed grants are beneficial to get a project started and make it more feasible for larger grants.

How do I write and submit a proposal?

Sponsored Projects Services (SPS) submits proposals and administers grants. This office can help with the proposal development as can the Office of Research Advancement (ORA). Technology Transfer (TT) helps with patenting and commercializing research.

How do I find UB research policies?