Strategic Plan

Objective: Advance the University’s standing among the nation’s leading public institutions by fostering excellence in research.

Strategies: Increase public and private funding to support research, graduate and professional education. Encourage multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research in areas of strength and opportunity.

Mission: The Office of Federal Relations acts for the President and the Vice President for Research as University liaison with the Executive and Legislative Branches of the federal government, state agencies and the private sector. Liaison activity focuses upon developing and maintaining a positive relationship with legislative, federal/state agency and industry personnel to: market UK projects and programs; gather intelligence on new federal programs; monitor legislative and executive branch activity; identify new sources of support; coordinate meetings with federal agency administrators for senior administrators at UK; and track the flow of new funds. The Director represents UK at the state and regional level on federal issues and closely coordinates these efforts with the Director of State Relations and Director of External Affairs. The Director works with the Office of Research Communications to promote UK as a major research enterprise. The Director initiates the development of multidisciplinary programs to focus on new federal initiatives in coordination with the Office of the Vice President for Research, Proposal Development Office, Office of Sponsored Projects Administration, and others as appropriate.

Outcome measures:

• provide updates on legislative and agency activity to appropriate UK administrators
• maintain staff contacts for each member of the Kentucky delegation
• coordinate campus visits each year by members of the staff of the Kentucky delegation
• develop and market the UK appropriations request list to the Kentucky delegation
• visit legislative staff to educate them about UK research activity
• provide updates on progress of major authorization and appropriations activity
• support faculty visits to federal agencies to market proposal ideas
• maintain a network of agency staff in the major research funding agencies
• provide updates on agency regulatory change
• works with national associations (for example: National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges and the American Association of Medical Colleges) to further the objectives of the University