Finance and Operations
Facilities Planning and Management
Sponsored Research Services
Office of Communications
Human Resources Department

Finance and Operations

The primary function of this division is to ensure the responsible stewardship of sponsored funds and to ensure efficiency and cost effectiveness in SDSU Research Foundation operations. Finance & operations departments include: finance and accounting, financial systems, investments and financial reporting, business services and computing services

More information about these services can be found at https://www.foundation.sdsu.edu/finance_index.html.

Facilities Planning and Management

SDSU Research Foundation's Facilities Planning and Management Department oversees over 700,000 square feet of property owned by SDSU Research Foundation. These properties are located adjoining campus, on nearby Alvarado Road, and in several areas within the county. Additionally, space can be leased to house sponsored projects administered by SDSU Research Foundation. Specialized facilities staff are available to assist with a variety of services.

More information about these services can be found at https://www.foundation.sdsu.edu/facilities_index.html.

Sponsored Research Services

Approximately two-thirds of SDSU Research Foundation's annual revenue is received in the form of grants and contracts awarded to conduct research, educational and other sponsored projects. SDSU Research Foundation administers grants and contracts in accordance with all regulatory sponsor-specific terms and conditions and CSU Executive Order 890, Administration of Grants and Contracts. SDSU faculty submitted 1,199 proposals during the 2018-19 fiscal year, resulting in over $148 million in grant and contract awards.

The sponsored research services division consists of three units dedicated to assisting faculty with pre- and post-award activities.

Sponsored Research Development (SRD)

Often known as the "pre-award" unit of SDSU Research Foundation, the sponsored research (SR) development unit assists SDSU faculty in all aspects of proposal preparation and submission. The SR development department assists SDSU faculty and staff interpret sponsor agency guidelines, develop and submit pre-proposals and proposals, develop budgets, facilitate approvals and compliance items, and negotiate and transition awarded proposals to sponsored research contracting and compliance. In addition, employees conduct workshops and many other activities to assist faculty in obtaining sponsored funding.

More information about these services can be found at https://www.foundation.sdsu.edu/srd_index.html.

Sponsored Research Contracting and Compliance (SRCC)

SRCC works with, and includes functions of, both pre-and post-award. SRCC is primarily responsible for negotiating favorable terms and conditions on awards issued to SDSU Research Foundation; initiating the sub-agreement process on those awards that involve collaborating organizations; and working closely with SDSU’s division of research affairs to ensure compliance with university, SDSU Research Foundation, and sponsor policies in areas such as human subjects, animal subjects, conflicts of interest, environmental health and safety, cost-sharing, and export controls.

More information about these services can be found at https://www.foundation.sdsu.edu/srcc_index.html.

Sponsored Research Administration (SRA)

Also known as "post-award," the sponsored research administration department serves two primary functions: a) providing support and assistance to faculty on the administration, compliance and fiscal management of grants and contracts awarded from federal, state and local government and private funding agencies, while b) ensuring that funds are expended in accordance with the terms and conditions of the funding agency, SDSU Research Foundation policies and procedures and SDSU and CSU regulations. In addition to externally-funded research and scholarly activities, the SRA department is responsible for the administration of gift funds on behalf of The Campanile Foundation, SDSU’s campus and community programs, as well as institutional allocations and research support funds.

Post-award grant specialists work with principal investigators and their staff to provide services related to overall fund management including expenditure review, budget projections, financial reporting, effort certification, and the management of sub-awards. They also work with PIs to request prior approvals and clarification of agency terms and conditions. Grant specialists act as liaisons with other SDSURF departments for principal investigators and their staff; they work with human resources, facilities, accounts payable, purchasing, and finance to facilitate requests pertaining to the operation of funded projects.

More information about these services can be found at https://www.foundation.sdsu.edu/sra_index.html.

Office of Communications

The office of communications is responsible for the overall communications of SDSU Research Foundation, including communication with sponsors, SDSU principal investigators (PIs), employees, the media, and other internal and external constituents.

An important component of this communication is the grant information function. Office of communications staff are responsible for the identification and dissemination of grant information to the university community. The office receives and distributes information about federal, state, and private funding sources. The office of communications provides program guidelines and application materials, information about agencies and the federal budget, maintains a file of sample funded proposals, facilitates a series of grant-related workshops, and issues weekly bulletins announcing funding opportunities to SDSU faculty and staff.

More information about the office of communications can be found at https://www.foundation.sdsu.edu/communications_index.html.

Human Resources Department

Human resources is responsible for the recruitment, selection, hiring of SDSURF employees, and classification of all positions. In addition, it is responsible for the development, maintenance, and enforcement of policies affecting employees. This department also manages employee relations, compliance with labor laws, employee training, non-immigrant visa matters, and the administration of employee benefits and workers’ compensation. Human resources is responsible for SDSURF risk management and insurance matters.

More information about these services can be found at https://www.foundation.sdsu.edu/hr_index.html.

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