The Office of Research Operations is the focal point for the Institute's space and facility matters, advising the NIAID Director and the Deputy Director for Science Management and Operations on matters concerning NIAID-occupied space and facilities.
ORO was created in late July 2006 to better address space issues related to changes in staffing levels throughout the Institute. Since that time, the organization has grown to a small cadre of federal staff, supported by contracted technical experts, and it carries out a wide array of functions. Judy Quasney is Director.
Space resources are managed by means of a central database that catalogs approximately one million net square feet of NIAID space in Maryland and Montana. The database defines the type, allocation, and use of space within the NIAID portfolio. This information is used to enhance program and strategic planning, space tracking, and cost monitoring of NIH central facilities operations and maintenance.
Other ORO functions include:
- Conducting facility-related technical and non-technical studies to assist NIAID leadership in strategic decision-making.
- Establishing Institute-wide policies defining management and allocation of facilities.
- Working with other organizations, both domestic and international, to solve technical, managerial, and implementation challenges of laboratory construction and operations.
- Managing, in coordination with NIH facility organizations, renovations and new construction projects in federal and leased buildings.
- Providing federal and contracted facility professionals to consult on technical topics regarding high-reliability facilities such as laboratories, vivaria, and data centers.
- Helping NIAID divisions optimize space resources, develop scenarios for changing space needs, and determine the logistics of implementing and delivering facility requirements.
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