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Meet the USC Research Administration Navigator
Find guidance, organize requirements, and prepare for next steps across the sponsored research lifecycle.
DCG Services
The Department of Contracts and Grants supports faculty and professional research staff in effectively securing and managing external funding.
The DCG team:
- Reviews, approves and submits proposals to extramural sponsors.
- Negotiates and accepts awards on behalf of the University.
- Executes outgoing subcontracts.
- Coordinates pre-award and post-award actions.
- Develops and maintains positive sponsor relationships.
- Ensures institutional compliance with Federal and State regulations, sponsor policy and University policy.
- Determines how agreements for research services will be processed.
DCG teams are assigned to each USC department, center and institute that administers externally funded research awards. To see which DCG Officer(s) are assigned to your specific unit, please visit the DCG Directory.
DCG Pre-Award Responsibilities
- Review proposals for completeness and compliance with agency and university requirements (nontechnical).
- Approve and endorse proposals on behalf of the University.
- Submit proposals to agencies.
- Manage electronic systems for proposal preparation, institutional approval, and submission to agencies.
DCG Post-Award Responsibilities
- Negotiate favorable terms on behalf of the principal investigator (PI) and the University.
- Accept awards on behalf of the University.
- Establish and maintain awards in Cayuse Sponsored Projects.
- Resolve post-award issues (rebudgeting requests, change of PI, disputes with subrecipients, questions about allowability of costs, etc.)
- Serve as institutional point of contact for questions raised by sponsors (e.g., adherence to terms and conditions, compliance with reporting requirements, etc.)
DCG Subaward Responsibilities
- Review requests for outgoing subawards for compliance with prime award terms.
- Ensure compliance documentation required by the prime is complete prior to execution.
- Draft, negotiate and execute subawards and amendments in compliance with sponsor requirements.
- Approve supplier contracts in University financial system.
Explore DCG Resources
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Cardinal & Gold Curriculum
Develop your research administration knowledge through DCG’s certification curriculum.
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Federal Directives & Updates
Access timely USC guidance, campus communications, and agency-specific updates related to federal directives.
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Roles & Responsibility Matrix
Review research administration roles and responsibilities across the proposal and award lifecycle.
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USC Guide to Research
Stay current with USC research policies, procedures, guidance, and institutional resources.
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Grants Management Training
Access educational resources that strengthen grants management and research administration skills.
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MicroLearning Videos
Offers short, focused videos that explain essential research administration topics.
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USC Research Administration Navigator
Access guidance that helps USC faculty and research administrators navigate sponsored research requirements and processes.
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USC Research Administration Navigator FAQ
Find answers about Navigator access, capabilities, appropriate use, privacy, limitations, and support.
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Prompt Engineering for RA Navigator
Learn practical prompting strategies for receiving clearer, more useful research administration guidance from Navigator.
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Meet Our Team
Heidi Harris
Principal C&G Officer
Sapphire Henson
Senior C&G Officer
Ivan Rukavina
Subcontract Officer
Audit & Compliance
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