Office of Research Support
The Office of Research Support (ORS) assists Duke faculty, students, and staff in the following areas:
For Duke campus faculty, students, and staff, ORS reviews and approves all proposals and awards (including graduate fellowships) requiring an institutional signature. For additional information on this process, see ors.duke.edu/grants-contracts-and-compliance.
For nonmedical human subjects research conducted on campus, the Office for Human Subjects Protections coordinates the Institutional Review Board (IRB), which must approve all protocols before research can proceed. For further information, see campusirb.duke.edu/campus-institutional-review-board.
For faculty, students, and staff throughout Duke University (campus and medical center), ORS provides information on funding opportunities including specific funding information for graduate and professional students.
For faculty, students, and staff throughout Duke University (campus and medical center), the Office of Export Controls provides assistance on travel to embargoed countries, transport of computers and other equipment overseas, and exports in general. For further information see export.duke.edu.
Supported by the Office of Research Integrity (DORI), ORS offers extensive information on external funding for thesis and dissertation research, postdoctoral fellowships, travel awards, and other research and training support. Online resources include funding-opportunities databases and Duke’s Funding Alert newsletter to which students may subscribe at researchfunding.duke.edu.
Also through DORI, ORS offers regular workshops for graduate students on how to use its online funding information resources. For a schedule of upcoming workshops, please refer to ors.duke.edu/about-us/events. Students may also use online resources, such as PIVOT and the Foundation Directory Online, which are available via the ORS website. Before submitting a proposal, students will need to work with their home department and ORS for institutional review of their proposal, and also will need to begin the process of obtaining IRB approval for any human-subjects protocol that may be part of their research.
For all of these services, call ORS at (919) 684-3030.
Oak Ridge Associated Universities
Since 1946, students and faculty of Duke University have benefited from membership in Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU). ORAU is a consortium of more than one hundred doctoral-granting academic institutions and a contractor for the US Department of Energy (DOE) located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. ORAU member universities share the common objective of advancing scientific research and education by creating mutually beneficial collaborative partnerships involving academe, government, and industry. ORAU’s emphasis is on developing and promoting partnerships with national laboratories—in particular, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).
For decades, ORAU has recruited students and recent graduates to pursue degrees and conduct research in disciplines of interest to federal agencies with science research missions. ORAU has helped direct the educational paths and research careers of more than 35,000 individuals through
graduate fellowships;
undergraduate scholarships;
postgraduate internships;
postdoctoral research appointments;
faculty research programs; and
other science education programs.
In addition, through its management of the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), ORAU strives to advance science education and research programs. ORISE creates opportunities for collaboration through partnerships with other DOE facilities, other federal agencies, the academic community, and industry.
Fundamental to ORISE’s mission objectives are
strengthening the nation’s research and development enterprise through education and research participation programs;
ensuring the readiness of the nation to respond to terrorist incidents and other emergencies; and
protecting workers, the public, and the environment through research, outreach, and verification activities.
For more information about ORAU and its programs, contact Duke’s ORAU counselor in the Office of Research Support at (919) 684-3030, or refer to ORAU’s website at orau.org.