Office of Research Strategy and Development
The Office of Research Strategy and Development provides catalytic and strategic support for the School’s research efforts and provides resources to maintain the highest research standards.
90 Smith Street, 3rd Floor, Suite 300, Boston, MA 02120
Welcome to the Office of Research Strategy and Development (ORSD)
The Harvard Chan School has a large and comprehensive research portfolio, spanning the behavioral, population, and biological sciences. With research conducted in nine academic departments and multiple school-wide research centers, our faculty receive funding from a wide range of federal and non-federal sources.
ORSD provides catalytic and strategic support for the School’s research by: supporting researchers in growing and diversifying research funding; increasing competitiveness for extramural research support; developing and implementing research policy to protect and enhance resources; optimizing administrative support for research; and catalyzing emerging and inter-departmental research.
Our support translates to positive impacts on research outcomes. Between 2020-2024, federal proposals supported by ORSD had a 30% success rate, higher than the NIH success rate for research project grants of 21.3% in FY23. About half of those proposals were for junior faculty members.
Visit the pages below to understand more about ORSD’s services and support.
Research Platforms
ORSD facilitates the development of, and access to, shared research resources.
Faculty Programming and Proposal Support
ORSD provides faculty and teams with customized support to develop their research programs.
Research Partnerships
ORSD coordinates with the Dean’s Office, development, and technology transfer to advance institutional priorities.
Academic Strategy
ORSD works with internal stakeholders to anticipate and respond to external challenges and opportunities.
The [Faculty Grant Writing Course] was very instrumental in helping me as a junior faculty to understand the R01 process. It was a fantastic opportunity to meet new faculty at the same stage in their careers. The level of instruction and feedback for this course was outstanding. I took away skill sets that I will be able to apply to my grant writing for the rest of my career.
Jessalyn Ubellacker, Assistant Professor of Molecular Metabolism