Research Support Office

Please Note

To accommodate the tremendous growth of sponsored research at Manne Research Institute, the offices across Research Business Operations have been expanded and reorganized, including the Office of Sponsored Programs, Sponsored Research Finance Office, and the Research Support Office. These web pages will be updated in the coming months.

Please see the RBO Landing Page for an overview of the offices, their functions, staff roles and responsibilities, and contact lists.

The Research Support Office is a newly established office created to support faculty in their investigator-initiated sponsored programs proposal development through award management needs. The Research Support Office works in collaboration with the Office of Research Development’s research scientist navigators, the Office of Sponsored Programs, and the Sponsored Research Finance Office to support investigators in developing high-quality and successful grant applications and conduct award management tasks throughout the life of a funded proposal.

The Research Support Office is composed of three teams: research grants specialists, research administrative managers, and research financial portfolio managers. 

  • Research grants specialists support pre-award activities relating to federal and foundational sponsored research studies for multiple divisions in partnership with the Office of Sponsored Programs. This includes assisting principal investigators in proposal guideline interpretation, deadline setting, budget preparation, proposal development, and approval routing.
  • Research administrative managers assist faculty in the Manne Research Institute neighborhoods in basic sciences by providing onboarding and staffing, purchase approvals, grants management, reporting, and neighborhood organizational assistance. They ensure the smooth daily operation of the neighborhoods and support faculty researchers, research associates, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and laboratory technicians.  
  • Research financial portfolio managers communicate accurate and timely financial data and provide financial advisement to principal investigators in the financial administration of grants, contracts, clinical trials, and other internally funded support. They work closely with counterparts in the Research Support Office, Office of Sponsored Programs, and Sponsored Research Finance Office on behalf of their principal investigators in spending plan projections to follow applicable sponsor regulations and requirements. The research financial portfolio managers also serve as lead subject experts regarding Lurie Children’s and Manne Research Institute post-award policies, procedures, and systems and assist with management of the finances of the sponsored projects for assigned departments, divisions, and principal investigators.  

Visit the Research Business Office Assigment list for a full Research Support Office staff listing.

Visit these additional resources for more detailed information as needed.