ORPA Grant & Contract Administrators (GCA's) are assigned to Departments and Offices throughout the University. See our complete list of Departmental Assignments to identify who provides guidance as you plan and manage your sponsored research project.

Contact us if you need help identifying who can best assist you.

Numerous parties play a role in sponsored research at Princeton.

Principal Investigator (PI)  

PIs have been judged by the University to have the appropriate level of authority, expertise, and responsibility to direct a sponsored project or program. You must determine whether your PI can lead a research project: PI Qualification Chart. If your PI's title is not directly listed on the chart, a request for PI status must be initiated through Princeton ERA as an ancillary review [see Princeton ERA proposal preparation guide for full instructions].  For additional information, visit the Dean for Research website.

Departmental Research Administrator

As a Departmental Research Administrator, you are central to sponsored research management, from proposal to close-out. You’ll work in concert with PIs, ORPA, SRA, and others to develop proposals, manage awards, and ensure that all projects remain compliant with sponsor and University policies.

Office of Research and Project Administration (ORPA)

ORPA is here to assist you and your team throughout the sponsored research lifecycle. We submit proposals on your department’s behalf, and also help ensure compliance from award initiation through close-out. All requests for funding outside of the University must be routed for review and approval through ORPA prior to submission to the sponsor.

Sponsored Research Accounting (SRA)

SRA manages the financial requirements related to your department’s sponsored research awards, including invoicing and financial reporting.

Other Parties

Depending on the nature of the project, a range of other groups may be involved.

• Corporate Engagement and Foundation Relations (CEFR)
• Environmental Health and Safety (EHS)
• Office of Technology Licensing (OTL)
• Lab Animal Resources (LAR)
• Procurement
• Research Integrity and Assurance (RIA)

Princeton ERA is the system used to submit, track, and manage your Department’s sponsored research proposals.​​​​​

Princeton ERA

New to the system? See the Forms library for the Princeton ERA Access Request form. Once you receive access, we welcome you to view our Princeton ERA page to launch the system and review helpful documentation and training materials. Along the way, ORPA is here to assist.

• To better acclimate to the Princeton ERA system, a training environment is available on the Princeton ERA page under "Training Resources".

Prime Financial Information Warehouse is the University’s financial management system, used to manage funding and generate financial reports. To get started, view the following helpful resources.

• Getting Started with Prime Reporting
• Prime Reporting and Analytics
• Prime Reporting Resources and Training
• Information Access and Security
• Financial Reporting Step-By-Step Library
• Prime Award Quick Guide [PDF]

Depending on your department or project, sponsored research funding may be sourced from a variety of entities. A large portion of Princeton’s research funds come from federal sources. However, funding may also be secured from organizations, foundations, corporations, and others.

Visit our Sponsors page to learn more about Princeton’s funding partners, and to find links to their respective websites.

In addition to the resources available to you at Princeton, a number of national organizations exist to support you as a departmental or grants administrator.

See our Professional Development page.

There are numerous listservs available to help you stay informed from various campus divisions. Please see a list of available resources here.