Old Dominion University Research Foundation

What Old Dominion University Research Foundation does

The Old Dominion University Research Foundation is a non-profit, university-affiliated administrative entity that operates the sponsored research back-office for Old Dominion University (ODU), a public research university in Norfolk, Virginia established in 1965. It is embedded within ODU's Division of Research and Economic Development and delivers end-to-end sponsored projects administration — including proposal development and submission, award negotiation, setup, financial management, modifications, hiring, purchasing, compliance, and closeout — to ODU's principal investigators, faculty, and researchers engaged in sponsored research, creative, instructional, and service activities.

The foundation's technology stack centers on the Research Portal and the MyResearch Lifecycle platform, structured as a platform-plus-modules architecture. Core modules include Pivot-RP for funding-opportunity discovery, an Award Management Toolkit for investigators, Data Dashboards & Reports, Document Search, an Incident Reporting Hotline, a Clinical Research Module, and a Sponsored Projects Administration Knowledgebase built on Atlassian. Together these systems cover the full research lifecycle from getting started through award closeout. The foundation holds a structural regulatory moat as the official university-affiliated entity responsible for compliance with federal, state, and local requirements governing sponsored research.

The foundation is not a commercial enterprise: it has no external customers, no publicly disclosed pricing, and no go-to-market motion. Its operating budget is sustained through administrative overhead and indirect cost recovery on grants flowing through ODU from federal, state, and local sponsors. The entity is led by Shannon Robinson, Ed.D., Senior Associate Vice President for Research and Executive Director, and operates from a single headquarters at 4111 Monarch Way, Suite 204, Norfolk, Virginia, with a staff of 51–100. Its operating scope is restricted to Virginia, USA.

Name

Old Dominion University Research Foundation

Legal name

Old Dominion University Research Foundation

Website

https://researchfoundation.odu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Old Dominion University Research Foundation is a non-profit administrative entity that provides sponsored research administration, compliance support, and grant lifecycle management exclusively to faculty and researchers at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Research Administration Services

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Research Administration & Grants Management Support (Pre/Post-Award, Compliance) (EDAEALAO)

Keywords

• Sponsored research administration
• Research lifecycle management
• Grants administration services
• Research compliance support
• University research foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

Norfolk

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Research Administration Services: The ODU Research Foundation provides administrative and business services to support sponsored research at Old Dominion University. The foundation does not operate as a commercial entity generating revenue from external customers; rather it supports the management of grants and funded research projects from federal, state, and local agencies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

The ODU Research Foundation provides administrative and business services for sponsored research, creative, instructional, and service activities at Old Dominion University. It manages the full research lifecycle from proposal development and submission through award negotiation, setup, management, modifications, and closeout, while ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local regulations governing grants, purchasing, and hiring on sponsored projects.

Product overview

The ODU Research Foundation operates a platform-plus-modules architecture centered on the Research Portal and MyResearch Lifecycle system, which together provide end-to-end sponsored projects administration for university-affiliated research. The core platform is augmented by specialized modules including Pivot-RP Funding Opportunities for grant discovery, the Award Management Toolkit for investigator support, Data Dashboards & Reports for analytics, Document Search for policy access, the Incident Reporting Hotline for compliance, a Clinical Research Module for medical studies, and a Knowledgebase for self-service support. The system serves principal investigators across all stages from proposal development through award closeout.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research Portal Web-based portal providing ODU researchers with access to funding opportunities, frequently used forms, document search, data dashboards and reports, and the Pivot-RP funding opportunity database. Used by ODU principal investigators and research administrators to manage sponsored project activities.
• MyResearch Lifecycle Comprehensive sponsored projects administration platform covering the complete research project lifecycle for ODU, from getting started through award closeout, including proposal development, submission, award negotiation, setup, management, modifications, and clinical research support. Used by ODU principal investigators and research staff.
• Award Management Toolkit for Investigators Resource toolkit assisting ODU investigators with managing awards, compliance, and reporting requirements on sponsored projects. Targeted at ODU principal investigators handling externally funded awards.
• Incident Reporting Hotline Compliance hotline provided by the ODU Research Foundation for reporting safety incidents, compliance concerns, or policy violations related to sponsored research at the university.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Workday Grants Management: Enterprise cloud platform with a grants management module used by large universities to administer sponsored projects. Comparable end-user functionality to the foundation's platform, but Workday operates as a broad ERP vendor rather than a research-specialist.
• Huron Consulting Group (Research Solutions): Large consulting firm with a higher education research administration practice that helps universities optimize sponsored projects offices and implement research management technology. Comparable in function and customer base, but operates as an external consulting/services model rather than an in-house foundation.

Direct peers

• Kuali Research: Open-source and cloud research administration software used by universities to manage sponsored projects, IRBs, and research compliance. Functionally parallel to the foundation's MyResearch Lifecycle system, with comparable modules for proposals, awards, and compliance.
• InfoEd Global: Provides electronic research administration solutions for universities and hospitals, including proposal development, IRB, awards, and compliance modules. Comparable technology stack and customer base to the foundation's research administration platform.
• Cayuse: Commercial provider of research administration software covering the full sponsored projects lifecycle (proposal development, award management, compliance, research integrity). Directly comparable to the foundation's MyResearch Lifecycle platform, with the key distinction that Cayuse serves hundreds of universities externally.

Regional players

• University of Virginia Research Foundation: UVA-affiliated foundation supporting sponsored research administration and technology transfer in Virginia. Directly comparable in mission and structure to ODU Research Foundation, serving the same regional higher education ecosystem.
• Virginia Tech Foundation: University-affiliated research and endowment foundation for Virginia Tech, providing similar sponsored projects administration and research support services in the same Virginia geography. Comparable mission, structure, and customer base to ODU Research Foundation.

Others

• NCURA (National Council of University Research Administrators): Professional association supporting university research administrators with training, resources, and policy guidance. Comparable community and standards-setting role for sponsored projects administration, though not a direct technology or service competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCBNgsDl2hppmwMyGR2NmL9A
• Facebookfacebook.com/Old.Dominion.University
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/old-dominion-university
• Instagraminstagram.com/olddominionu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Old Dominion University Research Foundation