Pre-Award Research Office and Support
About Us
The Pre‑Award Research Operations and Support (PROS) Unit is part of the UNC School of Medicine Dean’s Office and provides pre‑award research administration services to several School of Medicine departments and centers. Our team partners with faculty and departmental leadership to support high‑quality, compliant, and competitive research submissions.
The PROS Pre‑Award Unit transitioned from the UNC School of Medicine Finance and Research Support Team (FiRST) as part of a strategic effort to strengthen and streamline pre‑award services across the School of Medicine. This transition allows our work to be more closely aligned with the School’s research mission, strategic priorities, and expanding research portfolio.
PROS provides comprehensive pre‑award support for a wide range of funding mechanisms, including federal, foundation, non‑profit, state, and industry‑sponsored research. In addition, our team offers clinical trial pre‑award support for assigned departments, including budget development, negotiation, internal routing, sponsor compliance review, and submission to the appropriate institutional offices.
We work collaboratively with investigators, departmental research administrators, and central offices to ensure proposals are developed efficiently and in accordance with sponsor and institutional requirements. By housing pre‑award and clinical trial expertise within a dedicated unit, PROS promotes consistency, shared knowledge, and cross‑departmental collaboration.
Departments and Centers We Serve
Grant Pre-Award
| Otolaryngology (ENT) | iBGS | Pharmacology | Center for Women’s Health Research (CWHR)/ Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN) |
| Dermatology | Ophthalmology | Neurology | Center for Gastrointestinal Biology and Disease (CGIBD) |
| Gene Therapy | Pathology | Biomedical Science Training and Research (BioSTAR) Office | Biochemistry |
| Neuroscience Center | Orthopaedics | Office of Medical Student Education | UNC Kidney Center |
| BRIC | Urology | Endocrinology | Radiation Oncology |
| Anesthesiology | Emergency Medicine | Thurston Arthritis Research Center (TARC) | Microbiology and Immunology |
| PM&R | Neurosurgery | Center for Aging | School of Dentistry |
Clinical Trial Pre-Award
| Center for Women’s Health Research (CWHR) |
| Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN) |
| Ophthalmology |
| Thurston Arthritis Research Center (TARC) |
| Urology |
| School of Dentistry |