Faculty & Student Resources

This flowchart [PDF] explains everything you need to know about the process of taking an early-stage idea for research through to finding funding, developing a team, partnership agreements, and grant administration. It identifies key milestones, requirements, and resources for the full life-cycle of a research project.

Our staff is able to provide support for faculty as they develop research projects and proposals. To ensure best alignment between research and funding, faculty should explore the funding opportunities list [Google Drive] and select five that “more or less” meet their areas of interest. Once selected, these can then be shared with ORSP staff, at research-partnership@pratt.edu along with a short statement as to the suitability of the opportunity to their project, scope, and timeline. ORSP will then indicate project viability and funding feasibility, providing comments and suggestions on how to move forward. At this point in the discovery stage, faculty can expect to provide an expanded project summary, significance and rationale statement, as well as an impact statement for a narrowed selection of opportunities. Once narrowed to one or two opportunities, faculty should develop a budget draft and fill out a Proposal Routing Form [PDF] for each and provide to ORSP staff.

The mission of Pratt Institute’s Human Research Subjects Committee/Institutional Review Board (IRB) is to ensure quality research involving human subjects conducted under the auspices of the College. The IRB is guided by ethical principles outlined in the Belmont Report (1979) and legal mandates outlined in the Code of Federal Regulations Title 45, Part 46 (2009).

All projects conducted at Pratt involving human subjects that meet the definition of research must be reviewed by the IRB. Go to the IRB Decision Tree [PDF] to see if your project meets the definition of research.

The main purpose of the IRB is to ensure the protection of human subjects through the review, approval, modification, or disapproval of research applications submitted by faculty, staff, or students. The IRB is responsible for communication, record keeping, reporting, monitoring, education of the campus community about ethical issues, and the overseeing of all research activity involving human subjects.

An application must be filled out and submitted to the IRB for consideration. As of May 1, 2025, IRB applications must be submitted through this form. Applications submitted through other methods will not be accepted. Students are required to have a faculty member serve as an advisor for any student project. 

Researchers are also required to take the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI)’s online Responsible Conduct of Research training through Pratt Institute’s subscription.

• Pratt-specific guide on how to register for your CITI account and begin training [PDF]
• How to set up your CITI account [external link]
• How to download your certificate of completion [external link]

To submit your project for review, please take the following steps:

1. Use the IRB Decision Tree [PDF] to see if your project meets the definition of research. Read this document carefully. If there is any doubt as to whether or not your activities could qualify as human subject research, please contact the Office of Research and Strategic Partnerships at research-partnership@pratt.edu.
2. If your project meets the definition of research involving human subjects based on the IRB Decision Tree, complete the Human Subjects Research Application Form [PDF].
3. Complete the Consent Form for Adults [PDF] or Consent Form for Minors [PDF], as is applicable to your project.
4. If you are not yet certified with the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI)’s online Responsible Conduct of Research Training, set up your account and begin your training [PDF]. While you will be able to submit an IRB Human Subjects Research Application before completing CITI training, you may not publish your research until the Office of Research and Strategic Partnerships receives a certificate of your completion.
5. Submit your project for review through the IRB Protocol Requests Form. Email submissions will not be accepted. Please be advised that the minimum review time for applications is 30 days. If revisions are required, then the turn-around time for each round can be up to two weeks. It is recommended that all applicants submit their IRB applications at least six weeks prior to the intended start of research.

If you have any additional questions, please contact irb@pratt.edu.

While the art and science of grant writing can vary depending on many factors, not least of which being the specific requirements of the target funding organization, there are a few general best practices and helpful pointers that are useful to keep in mind from concept ideation to final submission. Use our Grant Writing Guidelines to help in your grant application process.

If you have identified a specific funding opportunity and would like to request grant writing support, you should first submit the Proposal Routing Form [PDF] to research-partnership@pratt.edu. Our staff will review your project specifications and connect you with the appropriate grant writing support.

The Office of Research and Strategic Partnerships within the Office of the Provost will, where appropriate and possible, help you to license your Intellectual Property to outside organizations. Any royalties derived from any such licenses will be shared with the inventor(s) according to Pratt’s Intellectual Property Policy. By submitting the Disclosure of Intellectual Property form [PDF], you notify Pratt Institute of your Intellectual Property and any relevant sponsorship, related agreements, and publication history.

Indirect funds are charged to granting organizations to cover expenses and fund amenities that are shared across the Institute’s research community, including expenses associated with the production of research and the administration of grant funds. As Pratt researchers located in our Research Yard continue to succeed in grants awarded, these grant funds will not only support their research projects, but also the facilities and infrastructure of the Research Yard in which they work. Indirect funds should be included in project budgets for grants submitted by Pratt researchers in Provost’s Centers and Research Accelerators, and a portion of these funds will be allocated for Research Yard physical space improvements, and maintenance and operations costs. These funds enable the Institute to offer our researchers the resources that will fuel Pratt’s leadership in research for years to come. For more information, please see Pratt’s policy on Indirect Cost Recovery.

For information about how to request reimbursements or payments utilizing grant funds from the Provost’s Office, please see the Reimbursement and Payment FAQs [PDF].