Overview from Zong-Guo Xia
Vice Provost for Research and Strategic Initiatives
Welcome to the website of the Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Strategic Inititiatives (OVPRSI). I invite you to learn how our dedication to discovery, creativity, and innovation is yielding vital contributions to the city of Boston, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the world.
The research enterprise at UMass Boston is on the move! UMass Boston was awarded nearly $42.25 million in extramural support in fiscal year 2009, resulting in a $1.5 million increase in our five-year average for total awards.
We know that our scholars work long and hard hours to be successful. All of us in the OVPRSI are committed to providing an environment in which their discovery, creativity and innovation thrive, and to represent their interests both inside and outside the university.
Components of the OVPRSI are the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) and the Venture Development Center (VDC), each led by an assistant vice provost for research, Michelle Auerbach and WIlliam Brah, respectively. Through these units, the OVPRSI delivers a full range of services to the research community, from identifying funding to creating commercial ventures. The OVPRSI team also identifies and shepherds multi-institution, multi-year projects with diverse and talented research teams where a great deal of planning and partnering are vital to success.
The vice provost for research and strategic initiatives exercises administrative oversight for all freestanding research institutes and centers at UMass Boston. The University Research Committee makes recommendations to the vice provost related to strengthening research and increasing sponsored program activities. We participate actively in university-wide economic development and international relations initiatives.
I invite you to read about our research opportunities in Research Reenvisioned for the 21st Century: Expanding the Reach of Scholarship at the University of Massachusetts Boston. To explore how you can advance UMass Boston's research mission, please visit our colleagues in University Advancement.
I hope you will explore potential partnerships with us, and contact me to offer your ideas and your suggestions.
Thanks for visiting.