Research & Creative Activities Organization

EXPERIENCED TEAMS PROVIDE VARIOUS SUPPORT SERVICES TO ENABLE RESEARCHERS TO PURSUE INQUIRIES AND DISCOVERY.

The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research & Creative Activities (ORCA) is designed to provide logistical support, policy guidance, strategic advice, and assistance in building relationships in furtherance of the UCLA research enterprise. These functions are overseen by the Vice Chancellor for Research & Creative Activities and carried out by the following units within ORCA:

Functions of ORCA

• Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research & Creative Activities (ORCA)

• The Vice Chancellor for Research & Creative Activities serves as the Chief Research Officer for the Campus and is charged with stewarding the academic and creative activity enterprise. The Vice Chancellor is supported by a Deputy Director, part time Advisors, and an Office Administrator.
  
  Alejandra Elizalde (Office Administrator) 
  Mary Okino (Deputy Director)
   

  Faculty Advisors

  • Jacob G. Foster (Special Advisor for Strategic Initiatives in Data Science to the Vice Chancellor for Research & Creative Activities) – DataX Initiative
  
  • Mark L. Green (Special Advisor for Strategic Initiatives in Data Science to the Vice Chancellor for Research & Creative Activities) – DataX Initiative
  
  • Todd Presner (Advisor to the Vice Chancellor for Research & Creative Activities) – North Campus
  
  • Amy Rowat (Advisor to the Vice Chancellor for Research & Creative Activities) - South Campus
  
  • Stephanie White (Advisor to the Vice Chancellor for Research & Creative Activities) – Interdisciplinary

• Office of Research Administration (ORA)

• The Office of Research Administration (historically known as “ORA”) provides operational infrastructure, regulatory assistance, and administrative services in support of faculty and other members of the campus research community, as described below:

  • Contracts & Grants Administration (OGCA)
  
  • Extramural Fund Management (EFM)
  
  • Office of Human Research Protection Programs (OHRPP)
  
  • Research Information Systems (ORIS)
  
  • Research Data Management (ORDM)
  
  • Business and Financial Services (OBFS)

• Research Enhancement Office (REO)

• The mission of the Research Enhancement Office is to facilitate the attraction of extramural research funding, create research relationships, and develop and implement strategies that increase institutional competitiveness. Programs and services in this office include UCLA Grand Challenges, the Limited Submission Internal Selection Process, the Research Enhancement Series, funding opportunity newsletters and resources, and other activities designed to facilitate collaboration across the academy.

• Research Policy & Compliance (RPC)

• Research Policy and Compliance (RPC) provides leadership, regulatory expertise, professional guidance, and administrative support to the campus in order to promote the ethical conduct of research and to facilitate compliance with federal, state, University of California, and UCLA regulations, and policies. RPC supports the Vice Chancellor for Research and Creative Activities in his roles as the Institutional Official for oversight of the Animal Care and Use Program at UCLA, and Research Integrity Officer.

  RPC serves as the administrative home for the UCLA Export Control compliance program. RPC staff work collaboratively with Legal Affairs, Academic Affairs, and ORA on special reviews related to questions of foreign engagement.

  RPC convenes and provides leadership for a number of faculty-led review committees, including the:
  
  • Animal Research Committee
  
  • Conflict of Interest Review Committee
  
  • Institutional Biosafety Committee
  
  • Radiation Safety Committees

  RPC also supports other specialized committees, including the:
  
  • Cannabis Advisory Board (CAB)
  
  • Chemical & Physical Safety Committee (CPSC)
  
  • Dual Use Review Entity (DURE)
  
  • High Containment Use Committee (HCUC)
  
  • High Containment Laboratory Oversight Group (HCLOG)
  
  • Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research Safety Oversight Committee (OSOC)
  
   

• Technology Development Group (TDG)

• The Technology Development Group (formerly known as the Office of Intellectual Property & Industry Sponsored Research) serves as a campus-wide gateway to innovation and entrepreneurship. This division of the Research & Creative Activities organization is responsible for:
  
  • Commercially evaluating new technologies
  
  • Determining patentability and commercial value
  
  • Prosecuting patents
  
  • Marketing and licensing inventions
  
  • Facilitating faculty startups
  
  • Engaging industry to facilitate research collaboration
  
  • Negotiating license agreements and material transfer agreements
  
  • Receiving and distributing royalties and other income to the inventors, campus and its departments