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Engineering Research Office

Engineering

Research Office

Established in 2005, the Engineering Research Office is a unique resource, providing pre-award concierge service to enhance the quality and success rate of extramural research proposals and reduce our faculty’s administrative burden.

Grad Student works in ORNL Lab

Meet the ERO Team

Each member of our team is a certified research administrator and completely dedicated to providing concierge-level service to help our faculty gain success throughout the proposal process.

Meet the ERO team.

Proposal Development

Our office can help craft and refine clear and convincing narratives that align with agency and program priorities. We have experience with many different funding agencies and can help faculty frame research proposals to maximize appeal.

Get assistance with proposal development.

Proposal Support

Our team provides one-on-one support that allows faculty to focus on the narrative while we manage everything else required for a quality proposal that complies with agency guidelines, university policies, and regulatory requirements.

Get proposal support.

Developing, preparing, and submitting research proposals is a substantive and involved effort expected of TCE tenure-line faculty members. We are here to help. The Engineering Research Office (ERO) provides custom proposal support and development services to facilitate successful proposal submissions. From brand new, first-year faculty to well-established UT-ORNL Governor’s Chairs, ERO’s experienced staff assist TCE faculty at every step of the proposal process, from initial planning, to budget development and document preparation, through submission to the funding agency.

Key Outcomes:

54%

Increase in Research Expenditures, 2011-2021

39%

Enhancement of Assistant Professor Success for Federal Proposals

24

Early Career Awards Received Since 2016
(16 NSF, 5 DoE, 1 DoD)

Success Rate

Proposal CategorySuccess Rate with EROSuccess Rate without ERO
All Federal for Assistant Professors25%18%
All Federal for Associate Professors31%26%
All NSF Proposals for all TCE Faculty members23%16%
All Federal multi-investigator large proposals (also multi-institutional)20%12%