Research Office Records, 1960-2012

These records were generated and acquired by the Research Office, the Natural Resources Policy Institute and several OSU research centers and institutes managed by the Research Office. In addition to reflecting the administration of these offices, the Research Office records also document the formation of procedures and policies regarding research, the review of various research projects at OSU, and the compilation of summary data on grant funding.

Given differences in the series designations between the paper and microfilm records in this group, the microfilm reels are described separately below and in the inventory.

The records in Subgroup 1, Research Administration, consist of nine series: I. Reports and Summaries; II. Committees; III. Correspondence; IV. Reports/Publications; V. Sea Grant Program; VI. Research Highlights; VII. Research Council; VIII. Policies/Procedures; and IX. Reports of Gifts and Grants. The records document the management of the Research Office and its function of evaluating grant proposals, communicating with various University committees and research centers on matters of procedure and funding, and compiling summaries of the grant review process.

Series I contains reports summarizing research grant funding, proposals, and applications at OSU. Most of the reports are organized by year and some are listed by college and school, resource allocator and by function. Series II consists of minutes, correspondence, and memoranda generated by University committees involved in evaluating and coordinating research projects and proposals, organizing presentations of outside researchers, and formulating research policies and procedures.

Series III contains correspondence, memoranda, and research proposals from research boards and organizations on campus and relates to the daily management of the Research Office, membership in research-oriented fraternal clubs, and specific research projects. Also included in this series are announcements from the Vice Provost for Research e-mailed to various directors and department heads. These announcements pertain to new regulations regarding the use of animals and humans in research, Vice Provost for Research Wilson Hayes, and the solicitation of topics to be presented at the OSU Biology Colloquium. The reports in series IV consists on the proceedings on a research grant writing seminar and a report on research opportunities.

Series V pertains to research projects undertaken by the Sea Grant program and contains reports, correspondence, memoranda, and research proposals. Series VI consists of a report from 1983 regarding current research projects described in brief one-page statements and organized alphabetically by department and faculty member. Series VII consists of minutes from the Research Council. Reports and handbooks on research policies and procedures constitute Series VIII. Series IX consists of notification and statement of grant awards forms. The newspaper clippings in series X were clipped from The Corvallis Gazette-Times and document various research projects and findings by OSU staff.

The records in Subgroup Two document research activities at 17 OSU centers and institutes managed by the Research Office and is arranged into 17 series by center. The records consist of correspondence, reports, studies, and minutes.

Subgroup Three consists of records from the Natural Resources Policy Institute and is organized into 5 series: I. Governor's Science Council; II. Correspondence; III. National Institute of Ecological Sciences; IV. Grant Proposals; and V. Committees.

Series I contains correspondence, minutes, reports, and informational materials from the Governor's Science Council, an advisory committee made up of representatives from the private sector, government, and academia with the mission of promoting scientific and technological research in Oregon. Young served on this council from 1987 to 1990. Series II primarily consists of correspondence and reports relating to foundation funding of the Institute, the campaign for HR Bill 3904, the impact of agriculture upon the environment, and projects from OSU research centers and institutes.

Series III pertains to the federal bill (HR 3904) to establish a National Institute of Ecological Sciences and consists of correspondence, reports, and testimonial statements before congress. Series IV consists of grant proposals sent to the Fred Meyer Charitable Trust and the William/Flora Hewlitt Foundation requesting funds to support the Natural Resources Policy Institute. Series V contains correspondence and minutes generated by university committees and relates to matters of research, foundation and corporate funding, and use of technology developed in research.

There are four series in the microfilm records: I. Correspondence (1965-1980), III. Reports (1966-1971), IV. Research Projects (1960-1975), and V. Committees and Councils (1964-1975). The records in all of these series' pertain to the administration and funding of research and address a range of procedural, ethical, and financial issues such as the protection of human subjects, patent regulations, federal government funding, and promotion and tenure guidelines. Included in the microfilm records are correspondence, reports, project proposals, clippings, minutes, brochures, notes, publications, bylaws, and newsletters.

About two-thirds of the microfilm records consist of correspondence files organized in three different methods, by subject, by organization and institution, and by individual.

An addition to the collection (Accession 2007:030) consists of materials generated and collected by the OSU Institutional Review Board and includes correspondence, handbooks, meeting minutes and agendas, newspaper clippings, reports, and informational materials. Primarily made up of information printed from federal government agency websites outlining instructions and guidelines for conduct of research projects, the informational materials constitute a little over a third of the volume of this transfer.

A second addition (Accession 2008:065) consists of materials generated and collected by the Technology Transfer Office and includes article reprints, contracts, correspondence, invention disclosure forms, legal depositions, newspaper clippings, notebooks, patent applications, press releases, reports, and VHS videotapes. In addition to documenting the process of obtaining patents for various technologies developed through research at OSU, these records also reflect litigation activity over patent rights and the tracking of royalty income from those patents. Information about the Technology Transfer Office is documented in annual reports and newspaper clippings. There are two copies of the videotape "OSU Securement System for Wheeled Mobility Aids on Mass Transit" in this transfer.

Three addition additions (Accessions 2009:074, 2011:014, and 2011:092) consist of materials generated by the Office for Commercialization and Corporate Development (OCCD-formerly the Technology Transfer Office) that document technology patents developed at OSU that expired or were closed during fiscal years 2009, 2010 and 2011, respectively. Primarily made up of confidential disclosure agreements (CDAs) and material transfer agreements (MTAs), this accession includes article reprints, contracts, correspondence, invention disclosure forms, newspaper clippings, patent applications, press releases, reports. Among the developments documented in these records include: a technique for subwavelength focusing and imaging in far-field regime; a method for identifying and quantifying bioactive conditions using living cells; and membrane fuel cells. Also included in these records is a concrete solar cell, an expandable gastric retention device, a method for accelerating elliptical curve cryptographic computations, and a scalable method and apparatus for the Montgomery multiplication.

A sixth addition (Accession 2013:010) consists of materials generated and collected by the Research Office that include annual reports, bylaws, correspondence, meeting minutes, memoranda of understanding, newsletters, policy statements, program renewal proposals, research allocation lists, and studies. Documenting the administration of various OSU research centers/institutes, research park planning, interaction with foundations, external program reviews, and investigation of venture funding, about half of these records pertain to the distribution of awards administered through the Research Office for OSU faculty and student research projects. The awards are oriented toward specific purposes: such as, equipment purchases, undergraduate research projects, building renovations/repairs, College of Liberal Arts faculty projects, and granting of release time for faculty research. Among the university research centers represented in these files include: the Institute for Water and Watersheds, the Center for the Study of First Americans, the Marine Mammal Institute, the Marine/Freshwater Biomedical Sciences Research Center, and the Center for Analysis of Environmental Change. Other bodies reflected in these records include the Faculty Senate Research Council and the Oregon University System Research Council.

A seventh addition (Accession 2013:032) consists of materials generated by the Office for Commercialization and Corporate Development (OCCD-formerly the Technology Transfer Office) that document technology patents developed at OSU that expired or were closed during fiscal year 2012. With patent certificates making up roughly half of this transfer, this accession also includes confidential disclosure agreements (CDAs), material transfer agreements (MTAs), article reprints, contracts, correspondence, invention disclosure forms, newspaper clippings, and reports. Topics of research reflected in these records include: methods for detecting bioactive compounds, chromatic control in sulfide phosphor, vaccine candidates for prevention of chlamydial disease, and materials with very low or negative thermal expansion.

An eighth addition, (Accession 2014:074) consists of materials generated and collected by the Research Office that include annual reports, category I proposals, correspondence, meeting minutes, mission statements, newsletters, policy statements, research allocation lists, and studies. Most of these records pertain to the administration of various OSU research centers/institutes, documenting program reviews, proposals for new centers, interaction with the Oregon University System, budget management, and administration of inactive centers. About one-third of this transfer pertains to the distribution of awards administered through the Research Office for OSU faculty and student research projects. These awards are oriented toward specific purposes: such as, equipment purchases, undergraduate research projects, College of Liberal Arts faculty projects, and granting of release time for faculty research. Among the university research centers represented in these files include: the Center for the Humanities, the Radiation Center, the Pauling Linus Institute, Environmental Health and Sciences Center, the Laboratory Animal Resources Center, the Center for Genome Research and Biocomputing, and the Survey Research Center. There are also records about the Sea Grant Program and Hatfield Marine Science Center.

A ninth addition (Accession 2015:004) consists of materials generated by the Office for Commercialization and Corporate Development (OCCD-formerly the Technology Transfer Office) that document technology patents developed at OSU that expired or were closed during fiscal year 2014. In addition to royalty payment records, this transfer also includes agreements, correspondence, invention disclosure forms, newspaper clippings, reports, and trademark applications. Topics of research reflected in these records include: methane fuel cell development, meadowfoam meal, zinc tin oxide semiconductors, a mobile app for reporting of physical therapy exercise regimens, scalable manufacturing of nanoporous silicon, and fish protein as a fat blocker for fried seafood.

More Extent Information: 6 microfilm reels.

Statement on Access: Access to personnel records on microfilm reel 3 is restricted due to the presence of confidential information. All requests for access to this material should be directed to the University Archivist. Digitized copies of unrestricted materials on reel 3 are available in the SCARC reading room upon request. All other materials in the collection are open for research.

Related Materials:

In addition to the files of Research Office, there are other records that document both the administration and funding of research at OSU. Files on individual grant funded research projects summarized in Research Office reports can be found in the Research Accounting Office Records (RG 026). Records and photographs from the institutes and centers managed by the Research Office are also represented in the Special Collections and Archives Research Center holdings and include the Agricultural Experiment Station Records (RG 025), Agricultural Experiment Station Photographic Collection (P 029), Environmental Health Sciences Center Records (RG 155), the Environmental Remote Sensing Applications Laboratory Records (RG 218), the Center for Gene Research and Biotechnology Records (RG 216), the Hatfield Marine Science Center Records (RG 194), the Oregon Productivity Center Records (RG 219), the Sea Grant College Program Records (RG 201), Sea Grant College Program Photographs (P 185), and the Civil Engineering Department Records (RG 030).

The Research Office Records (P 181) also include related photographs. The Special Collections and Archives Research Center holdings also include the Roy A. Young Papers (MSS YoungRA), documenting the work of the first Dean of Research and Director of the Natural Resources Policy Institute.

Preferred Citation: Research Office Records (RG 170), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Other URL:

A preliminary container list was created for this collection on or before November 19, 2015.

A compiled inventory of unincorporated accessions for RG 170 is also available online.

Research Office Records, 1960-2012

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