Sponsored Programs Administration & Research Compliance

The Office of Sponsored Programs Administration & Research Compliance (SPARC) provides Drake University's faculty, staff and students with comprehensive guidance and support in their pursuit and conduct of research and scholarly activities.

SPARC works collaboratively with the research community to assist them in advancing Drake's mission of teaching, research and scholarship and provides them with the highest quality customer service and technical expertise.
Please note: All grant related final documents need to be submitted to the SPARC office five work days prior to the submission deadline.

SPARC provides assistance in five primary areas: Pre-Award, Post-Award, Research Compliance, Technology Transfer, and Training.

• Developing a Grant
• When You Receive An Award
• Research Compliance
• Technology Transfer
• Education, Training, and Outreach
• Policies and Forms

News & Updates

Date: 9/9/2024

Hello! Welcome to our new Sponsor Programs and Research Compliance (SPARC) news section. This section will cover various SPARC related topics and keep you up to date with all SPARC related news. This includes but is not limited to: process changes, form updates, funding opportunities updates, workshops & training dates, and funded proposal announcements.

Process Updates

Proposal Routing Form: This form has been updated to a Qualtrics form to provide you with an easy and palatable format to complete your routing form; from your desktop to your cell phone this can be done from anywhere now! And, instead of sending it to our e-mail independently, it will be automatically sent to us once you have completed it.

(Proposal Routing Form QR Code)

Financial Conflict of Interest Form: This form can be found within the proposal routing form and the SPARC website under SPARC Policies & Forms. This form will need to be submitted to lori.byrd@xlqx.net five (5) business days prior to the submission date.

PLEASE NOTE: All principal investigators, co-principal investigators, and key staff members from the University must complete a financial conflict of interest form each fiscal year.

F&A/Indirect Cost Waiver Request Form: We have developed a new form to process requests to waiver F&A/indirect costs during your grant application. Although Drake’s stance is to request all allowed indirect costs from the funding agency, if there is a reason to reduce and/or waiver the F&A/indirect cost during a grant submission, you will need to complete this form and have your Dean and/or Chair sign off, along with the Provost office and the SPARC office. This form will need to be submitted to lori.byrd@xlqx.net five (5) business days prior to the submission date. If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to lori.byrd@xlqx.net.

SPARC’ing a Conversation: We will be introducing a mini-interview series which will host various faculty members and staff members who have received funding for their areas of concentration and/or research. Please keep your eyes out for our first episode that will be coming soon!