Office of Research Information Systems

If you need assistance please email our Help Desk: ORISHelp@psu.edu

The Office of Research Information Systems supports the University's Research Mission by providing support to all researchers and more than 180 staff members by designing, developing and maintaining web-based software systems in the Office of the Vice President for Research. The systems supported by office primarily support the Office of Sponsored Programs and the Office for Research Protections.

The systems with the broadest use are:

  • The Strategic Information Management System (SIMS)

    • The reports module (SIMS reports ) is used by research executives and administrators at all Penn State locations. SIMS is used to track, manage, and report on proposals and awards.
    • The budgets module (SIMS budgets) is used to develop budgets for research grants and contracts and for electronic submission of proposals to the federal government (grants.gov).
  • The Protocol Review and Approval Management System (PRAMS) and its replacement system the Centralized Application Tracking System (CATS) are used by faculty members, review boards and committees, and research protections staff at both University Park and the College of Medicine to manage the submission, review and  approval of IRB, IACUC, IBC, and UIC protocols. 
  • The CORES system which is being implemented for core research facilities to manage scheduling and billing for use of equipment, supplies and services.  

 

Other efforts supported by ORIS

  • UMETRICS:  ORIS provides data to the UMETRICS (Universities: Measuring the Impacts of Research on Innovation, Competitiveness, and Science) proejct. The foundation for UMETRICS(Universities: Measuring the Impacts of Research on Innovation, Competitiveness, and Science is  a common, large-scale, automated data platform on the research enterprise made possible by the Federal STAR METRICS (Science and Technology for America’s Reinvestment—Measuring the EffecTs of Research on Innovation, Competitiveness, and Science) project and massive advances in the methods and tools to combine, mine, and analyze big data on research.