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Research

WVU Office for Research

The WVU Office for Research is the primary point of contact for research administration, development, stimulation, and support within the Office of the Provost. The Office for Research provides administrative and executive support for the WVU Research Corporation. The office also serves as the principal point of contact for the Office of the President in coordinating congressional and federal research projects. The office is headed by the vice president for research. For additional information about any of West Virginia University's research programs or the WVU Research Corporation, contact the WVU Office for Research at 304-293-3449.

Research Support

For their own professional advancement and that of the University, faculty members are encouraged to undertake projects funded by non-University sources. Research and training projects must be consistent with the broad educational, research, and scholarly goals of the University, colleges, and departments; they must not entail commitments that the University is not in a legal or budgetary position to fulfill; and they must not impede the University's ability to meet its instructional obligations.

Faculty members on nine-month contracts who receive research support may earn up to 2.5 months' salary from external sources during the summer months;the compensation may be increased to 3.0 months with the approval of the Office of the Provost. Faculty members with nine-month contracts whose summer employment is funded by a grant will be paid at the individual's current contract rate. During a regular semester, faculty members on twelve month contracts and those on nine-month contracts are permitted to undertake such research by an appropriate adjustment of their contractual duties, but an increase in the contractual base salary from gran and contract funds is not permitted. However, individual colleges and schools have implemented the University's policy to permit non-contractual salary increase through the Academic Activity Incentive Policy when faculty members have obtained extramural funding.

The Office of Sponsored Programs' (OSP) mission is to support the West Virginia University community in the acquisition and administration of externally funded projects for research, teaching and service. OSP reviews and submits proposals, negotiates, accepts, and initiates awards on behalf of West Virginia University and the West Virginia University Research Corporation. They can be reached at 304-293-3998.

Faculty Research Ethics, Standards, and Controls

The Office of Research Integrity and Compliance covers the areas of academic integrity in research , human subjects, animal welfare, conflict of interest, and export control (biosafety is handled by the Office of Environmental Health and Safety. They provide information about policies/procedures, guidelines, educational programs, and monitoring and accountability in these areas. They can be reached at 304-293-7073.

All research involving human subjects or human subjects data conducted at WVU or its affiliated institutions by faculty, staff, or students must have prior approval from the Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Research Subjects (IRB). The purpose of the board is to protect the rights and welfare of individuals who serve as subjects of research and to ensure institutional compliance with those ethical considerations contained in the Code of Federal Regulations (45 CFR 46). The IRB maintains a set of guiding principles and operating policies that demand that the highest professional standards are met and that the research procedures do not infringe upon the safety, health, welfare, or lives of those subjects.

All research involving animals must have approval from the Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) housed in the office of research integrity and compliance. The purpose of this committee is to oversee the animal programs, facilities and procedures at WVU, insuring the health and well-being of all animals being used for research, testing, and education.

For purposes of research, a conflict of interest in research exists if financial interests or other opportunities for tangible personal benefit may exert a substantial and improper influence upon an employee’s professional judgment in exercising any university duty or responsibility, pertaining to designing, conducting or reporting research. A conflict of interest in research occurs when there is a divergence between an individual’s private interests and his or her professional obligations such that an independent observer could reasonably question whether the individual’s professional actions or decisions are determined by considerations of personal gain, financial or otherwise. The appearance of a research-related conflict may be as serious and potentially damaging as an actual conflict of interest because it undermines public trust locally and nationally, even when the facts are brought to light. WVU requires an annual conflict of interest in research disclosure from any investigator who wishes to conduct research as per federal and state regulations cited in the WVU Policy on Conflicts of Interest in Research.

The purpose of WVU’s export control program is to ensure that WVU Personnel are aware of and understand the responsibilities for compliance with United States export control laws and regulations. Export control laws and regulations cover a broad range of WVU activities. The first step to compliance is determining whether a planned activity raises export control issues. Some of those activities may include:

  • Performing or planning to perform research involving export controlled subject matter, equipment, or materials;
  • Hiring or planning the hiring of a non-immigrant employee
  • Traveling internationally for University-related business;
  • Traveling for any reason to an embargoed country with University-owned equipment (including laptop computers, smart phones, tablets, etc.);
  • Accessing University e-mail, computer networks, or files while abroad;
  • Shipping technology, equipment, samples, or software outside of the U.S.;
  • Inviting or hosting visitors to the University who are non-U.S. persons;
  • Engaging in business transactions or legal agreements with foreign entities; or
  • Purchasing items from foreign entities or entities in foreign countries. For further direction, please contact the ECO directly at 304-293-3084 or exportcontrol@mail.wvu.edu.

Office of Technology Transfer

The Office of Technology Transfer (OTT) is responsible for the protection and commercialization of Intellectual Property (includes patents and copyrights) for all WVU organizations.