Research Policies & Administration

The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research has overall managerial responsibility for Berkeley's research enterprise. The following subsidiary offices help to administer the flow of research funding to the Berkeley campus; oversee the compliance of campus research with federal, state and university regulations; facilitate relations between University researchers and private industry for the benefit of society; and assist visiting and post-doctoral researchers from the U.S. and abroad.

The Sponsored Projects Office (SPO) prepares, interprets, negotiates, and accepts agreements for projects funded by federal and state agencies, foundations, corporations, and other public and private sources. SPO also prepares and negotiates all subawards for collaborative research.

The Committee for Protection of Human Subjects (CPHS) is mandated by federal law and University policy to review all proposals for research by University faculty members and graduate students involving the use of human subjects. The Office for the Protection of Human Subjects (OPHS) provides staffing for the CPHS.

The Animal Care and Use Committee (ACUC) is a faculty committee charged with reviewing and approving all proposed uses of live vertebrate animals in teaching and research. Its activities are mandated by the U.S. Animal Welfare Act and Public Health Service Policy.

The Office of Intellectual Property and Industry Research Alliances (IPIRA) provides leadership for the Berkeley campus for the full range of research and technology relationships with industry. IPIRA’s mission is to:

  • Recognize, establish, nurture and maintain multifaceted relationships with companies and foundation
  • Enhance the Berkeley campus research enterprise through Intellectual Property (IP) management
  • Facilitate and strengthen new types of agreements to reflect changing relationships with foundations and industry
  • Support economic development through technology and knowledge transfer including entrepreneurship

The Office of Technology Licensing (OTL) works with campus inventors to facilitate transfers of technologies created at UC Berkeley to the commercial sector for public use and benefit. The scope of OTL activities include: evaluating the commercial potential of new technologies, determining patentability, prosecuting patents, registering copyrights, marketing and licensing patents, tangible material, and software, negotiating license agreements, and receiving and distributing royalties and other income to the inventors, the UC Berkeley campus and its departments.

The Industry Alliances Office (IAO) works with UC Berkeley employees and companies to enable innovative research relationships and with offices across campus to streamline research agreement management and negotiation. The IAO is responsible for negotiating all research contracts dealing with private industry, including: sponsored research agreements, membership agreements, material transfer agreements, data/software transfer agreements, collaboration agreements.

The Office of Laboratory Animal Care (OLAC) is directed by a senior veterinarian who is board-certified by the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine. The Director works with a staff of more than 45 laboratory animal technicians who provide seven-day-a-week nursing, husbandry, and feeding care for all campus animals.

The Visiting Scholar and Postdoc Affairs (VSPA) Program was established to accommodate scholars with an opportunity to pursue their research and professional interests on the Berkeley campus. Berkeley is host to many visitors from other universities, colleges, research laboratories, and government agencies who conduct research using campus facilities.

The Berkeley International Office (BIO)  enhances the academic experiences of international students and scholars by providing expertise in advising, immigration services, advocacy, and programming to the UC Berkeley campus community.