About
The Research Development Office (RDO) empowers faculty and staff to pursue their research goals —and aims to increase NC State’s competitive advantage and prominence both nationally and across the globe.
Our primary goal is to support the pursuit of cutting-edge research and advancement of NC State’s research portfolio. Our office is comprised of several groups — introduced below — whose general functions include:
- Fostering interdisciplinary and collaborative research
- Laying the foundation for sustainable research growth
- Planning strategies to pursue large-scale projects
- Managing limited-submission funding opportunities and the Office of Research and Innovation’s internal seed-funding programs
- Developing NC State’s research infrastructure
- Providing administrative oversight for centers and institutes
Funding
RDO assists faculty and staff in finding research funding for individual, collaborative and cross-disciplinary research. Our funding staff are responsible for the identification and dissemination of funding opportunities and other key resources in support of research initiatives. RDO manages a variety of internally sponsored funding programs in support of research and scholarship activities at NC State, including opportunities for seed funding of research/scholarship projects as well as funds to procure research instrumentation. We also manage a wide variety of internal competitions for extramural limited-submission funding opportunities, including the selection of experts to serve as reviewers of internal pre-proposals.
Proposal Development Unit (PDU)
The PDU assists with the strategic planning and development of large-scale interdisciplinary proposals. Our mission is to help researchers write winning proposals. Our services include team facilitation, budget development, writing, editing and administrative assistance — enabling investigators to concentrate on the research-related aspects of their proposals. The PDU also regularly coordinates webinars and workshops, disseminates newsletters, and provides other educational opportunities.
Centers, Institutes and Industrial Consortia
RDO provides oversight of NC State’s Centers and Institutes and other units focused on interdisciplinary research, instruction, and public service. Many of these UNC System-recognized units receive significant federal funding from NIH, NSF, NOAA, NASA, USDA and DOI. These cutting-edge organizations are frontrunners in their field — blazing trails for other researchers and providing a platform for collaboration, investigation and the discovery of solutions to the greatest challenges facing the global community.
Shared Core Research Facilities
RDO provides oversight of six Shared Core Research Facilities that house state-of-the-art instrumentation. Each facility is staffed by scientists who offer hands-on training, specialized services and project-specific consultations.
Research Working Groups
RDO develops and administers working groups focused on key research areas that will significantly benefit from NC State expertise. Working groups are interdisciplinary in nature, and open to any NC State faculty, staff, and students with area interest. Additional working groups will be implemented as new focus areas are identified.