Proposal Response Teams (PRT)

Proposal Response Teams (PRT)

The Office of Research and Engagement offers a suite of services that spans multiple offices to help provide comprehensive support for complex, large scale, and other proposals of high priority to the campus and academic units. There is also oversight management of these service to streamline the process and reduce the administrative burden of faculty leads. Services can be provided and coordinated with local support services as applicable.

Process for Requesting and Receiving Service​

  1. Be referred or make a request to Loren Walker at loren@research.umass.edu.
  2. Participate in a brief proposal assessment to identify areas of significance, including: compliance, institutions commitments and cost sharing, solicitation complexity, on and off campus partnerships, etc. 
  3. Evaluate appropriate levels and type of VCRE support needed in conjunction with available unit level staffing. 
  4. Establish a good faith agreement on work to be accomplished and a timeline. 

PRT Services

Project Management - Coordination of R&E services and local support, management of initial assessment, provides ongoing proposal project management and facilitation, a resource for both the faculty and their support team, troubleshooting, decision-making as needed, utilizes standardized project management and proposal development methods and tools. 

Research Development - Assessment, strategy, networking, competitive intelligence, narrative grantsmanship review, grant writing, government and stakeholder relations, coordinates university commitments and cost share.

Office of Pre-Award Services (OPAS) 

  • Proposal Reviewer - Participates at the beginning and provides ongoing assessments. This is the same person that will review the proposal. Consults and advises on the application of university, sponsor and solicitation policies, procedures, and guidelines. 
  • Proposal Development Administrator - (Optional and/or collaborative with local support when available) Overall timeline management, budget, subcontract coordination, solicitation compliance (font, pages, biosketches, etc.), proposal compilation, and routing. 
  • OPAS Director - Verifies and confirms strategies to reduce last minute revisions prior to submission. Initial point of contact in determining OPAS team assignments. 

Office of Post-Award Management (OPAM) - Evaluates any terms and conditions that may conflict with the standard.

Compliance - Evaluates and confirms strategies that address topics, including: international, human subject and clinical trial research, exports control, etc.