In an effort to enrich the academic experience and enhance the community of scholars at Ferris State University, the Office of Scholarship and Sponsored Programs provides assistance to faculty and staff in all phases of externally funded project development and supports scholarship and other activities. The OSSP is a service unit of Ferris State University, operating within the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, functioning as the single point of contact for externally funded scholarships and projects.

Support offered by the OSSP includes locating funding sources, assistance with preparation of proposals, obtaining appropriate sign-off and post award administration. Additionally, OSSP will maintain and administer institutional policies such as Intellectual Property, Human Subject Review, Conflict of Interest and Animal Use and will coordinate with the Academic Senate Committee on Faculty Research, University Advancement and Marketing, the Ferris Foundation, Office of Investments and Grants and the University Sabbatical Leave Committee.

Responsibility for monitoring the financial execution of grants obtained through the OSSP will be through the Division of Administration and Finance.

• Principal Investigator (PI) – The person responsible for fulfilling the terms and conditions of the grant or contract. The principal investigator may also be called the project director for certain types of grants and contracts.
  
  
• Project Director – The person who shares responsibility with the principal investigator for fulfilling the terms and conditions of the grant or contract. Sometimes, the terms "project director" and "principal investigator" are used interchangeably. In Grants Accounting, the term "principal investigator" may identify the person responsible for directing a grant-funded project.

• Provide access to online subscription resources such as the Grants Resource Center, a subscription service provided through the Association of State colleges and Universities for which Ferris State pays an annual fee; GrantSearch, a database of all federal and some private funding source; FASTLANE, and electronic service of the National Science Foundation.
• Assist the principal investigator and work in coordination with the Office of Investments and Grants in the interpretation of policies, regulations, and guidelines applicable to specific projects.
• Provide current information on available funding sources.
• Provide coordination for research and sponsored programs.
• Assist with the development of proposals including identification of a sponsor, developing a budget, a timeline, assessments and evaluations, as well as securing appropriate approvals.
• Focus personnel and resources to identify specific strategies to motivate faculty to develop and submit competitive grants.
• Host idea exchanges to stimulate interest and creativity in developing project ideas.
• Recognize faculty and staff on campus who are engaged in grant-supported activities in University publications, websites and ceremonies.