Many of you have been asking about ways to diversify your research and innovation portfolios. Service agreements can be wonderful mechanisms for supporting much of the scholarly work at the UW School of Nursing. A service agreement at the University of Washington is a formal contract where faculty or university resources provide specific, well-defined services to an outside entity. Unlike traditional sponsored programs (e.g., grants), which aim to generate new knowledge and contribute to academic scholarship and/or create intellectual property, service agreements are focused on delivering practical outcomes, typically in response to the needs and specifications of the requesting party. More information on the distinction between service agreements and sponsored programs can be found HERE.
In the context of service agreements, the faculty member’s role is often to perform tasks such as data analysis, report generation, technical consulting, or other specialized services. These services are provided without the expectation of creating generalizable knowledge or publishing findings. Instead, the deliverable might be a final report containing factual data, testing results, or professional assessments tailored specifically for the external entity’s use.
Faculty should note that when external partners request reports or services requiring faculty expertise, it is essential to distinguish whether the activity constitutes a service agreement or falls under the scope of sponsored research/sponsored program. Understanding this distinction ensures that projects are categorized correctly, enabling UW to meet compliance requirements and deliver impactful services to external partners.
Within the School or Nursing, service agreements are generally routed through the Impact Office while sponsored research or sponsored programs are routed through the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP). If you are unsure of how to categorize an incoming project, please contact the Impact Office at son-impact@uw.edu.