Office of Research Support and Development
Elevating Research. Empowering Southern Miss.
The Office of Research Support and Development (ORSD) at The University of Southern
Mississippi is the university’s central hub for advancing research and creative activity
through external funding. ORSD empowers faculty, staff, and institutional units by
providing strategic support across the entire research lifecycle — from identifying
funding opportunities and developing competitive proposals to ensuring compliance,
promoting research integrity, and managing post-award activities.
Through comprehensive services and cross-functional collaboration, ORSD strengthens
the university’s research enterprise, expands its funding portfolio, and enhances
its overall impact.
Under the leadership of the Associate Vice President for Research, ORSD is organized
into four interconnected units that work together to support research and scholarly
activities:
Office of Research Administration:
Proposal and Award Management (PAM)
Financial Reporting and Audit (FRA)
Office of Research Integrity (ORI)Research Development, Training, and Engagement (RDTE)
Research Information Systems and Grant Analysis (RISGA)
Launch your path to competitive research funding.
The Grant Lifecycle is your starting point for navigating sponsored research at Southern Miss. It walks you through each stage of the process — from identifying funding opportunities and submitting proposals to managing your award and closing out your project. Use it to understand how grants work, what’s expected at each step, and where to find the right support.
Promoting Ethical and secure research.
The Office of Research Integrity (ORI) is a key component of ORSD, supporting USM’s strategic goal to strengthen research productivity and innovation. ORI ensures ethical conduct and regulatory compliance across all research activities, overseeing human subjects (IRB), animal care (IACUC), biosafety (IBC), and scholarly integrity programs. As part of ORSD’s expanded structure, ORI contributes to enhancing research infrastructure, increasing faculty engagement in compliance training, and supporting interdisciplinary collaboration — advancing USM’s mission as a Carnegie R1 institution committed to high-impact, responsible research.
stay connected.
Join the ORSD Research Listserv to stay up to date on research news, funding opportunities, and key announcements from our office. Subscribers will receive The ORAcle, our monthly digital newsletter featuring sponsor updates, grant tips, and curated funding opportunities organized by academic discipline.
This service is available to USM faculty and staff only. For questions about ORSD publications or reports, contact the RDTE Information Specialist at 601-266-5054 or via email.