The offices aligned in the Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for Research (Pitt Research) are updating their names Sept. 1. The changes are aimed at creating clarity, cohesiveness and consistency to Pitt Research, the University’s core unit that provides faculty and students support, guidance, and consultancy to advance their world-class research, scholarship and innovation.
Pitt Research focuses on the full breadth of the research enterprise: pursuing and securing sponsorships and funding, ensuring adherence to the highest standards of research conduct, providing cutting-edge resources to researchers and creating creative collaborations that lead to successful commercialization.
“Virtually every researcher at Pitt interacts with one or more — sometimes all — of the offices,” said Senior Vice Chancellor for Research Rob A. Rutenbar. “The changes emphasize and clarify the collaborative and interconnected role each unit plays in working collaboratively with the University’s researchers, scholars, students and partners.”
Office of Research Protections
The Office of Research Protections, previously the Research Conduct and Compliance Office, is led by Vice Chancellor George Huber.
This office is responsible for the oversight of research reviews and activities and for the promotion of ethical research practices by supporting faculty, staff and students through the complex regulatory network and facilitating ethical and high-quality research. It works to ensure compliance with federal, state and local laws and regulations and University policies and procedures.
Office of Trade Compliance
The Office of Trade Compliance, previously the Office of Export Controls Services, is led by Director Allen DiPalma.
Pitt is a global institution and is fully committed to international collaborations. The Office of Trade Compliance helps researchers ensure that federal compliance obligations are managed. This team shares best practices and advice and provides hands-on assistance for compliance with U.S. export controls regulations.
Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The Innovation Institute — now part of the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship — is led by Vice Chancellor Evan Facher.
This team strengthens the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship at Pitt by providing a suite of facilitation and support services for innovators, from protecting intellectual property to the commercialization of new discoveries through licensing and/or new enterprise development. It manages the whole innovation pipeline, including hands-on mentoring, networking and classes on start-up mechanics.
Office of Sponsored Programs
The Office of Research will become the Office of Sponsored Programs, led by Vice Chancellor Jennifer Woodward.
This office is charged with assisting faculty, staff and students in their efforts to promote and secure sponsored research funding. They assist researchers by reviewing, negotiating, endorsing and providing administrative oversight related to proposals and awards in accordance with all applicable laws, policies and regulations.
Office of Research Computing
The Office of Research Computing includes the Center for Research Computing (CRC), led by Vice Chancellor Ralph Roskies, and the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center, a joint effort between Pitt and Carnegie Mellon University, led by Director William Kramer.
The CRC is a unique resource for researchers and scholars. It enables uncomplicated access to advanced computing by technically supporting computational facilities, architectures and software, and conducts training workshops and offers individual instruction. The Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center is home to some of the most powerful systems for high performance computing, communications and data storage, and makes these systems available to scientists and engineers nationwide for unclassified research.
Office of Economic Partnerships
The Office of Economic Partnerships is led by Associate Vice Chancellor Cynthia Sweet.
The office provides government agencies, industry leaders and economic development organizations with access to the University's resources. This team maintains collaborative partnerships and alliances that drive economic growth and innovation in the region, throughout the state and beyond.