The University of South Carolina is a Carnegie-designated university of very high research activity, and the Office of the Vice President for Research plays a key role in keeping it that way. However, the finer points of grant administration can create red tape around the crucial work of exploring and innovating.

That’s why the research office created the Carolina Grants and Innovation Hub, uniting the work of Research Training and Education Services with that of the Office of Research and Grant Development to provide comprehensive and enhanced research development services to faculty and research administrators.

Led by Emily Devereux, DPA, executive director of research development, the CGI Hub will support researchers with various research development-related grant processes, including writing, editing, graphic design and more. The hub will also offer training and workshops, on-demand AI support, faculty programs such as Propel and Propel AI, and research administrator professional development programs such as STRIVE.

“The goal of the Carolina Grants and Innovation Hub is to increase not only the quantity but the quality of USC proposal submissions, which will enable our faculty and research administrators to make real strides in growing the university’s research profile,” Devereux says. “The centralization of Research Training and Education Services and the Office of Research and Grant Development in one place will streamline the grant process from start to finish and allow us to make a difference.”

 

 

The CGI Hub has already begun staffing its team, with anticipated December hires of a director of research training and education services, a STEM grant writer and a health sciences grant writer. The full range of services will be available in January 2025.

Introducing the Team

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Hannah Cambre | Marketing Communications Specialist

As Marketing Communications Specialist, Hannah Cambre is responsible for supporting the communications needs of the Carolina Grants and Innovation Hub as well as requests from the Office of the Vice President for Research.

Before joining the CGI Hub, Cambre worked in the Office of the Provost, where she developed written content and facilitated internal communications requests for the 19 academic affairs units reporting to the office. She earned her Bachelor of Art in Asian studies from Furman University.

 

Tyshawna Cleveland | Administrative Coordinator

In her role as Administrative Coordinator, Tyshawna Cleveland’s duties include providing administrative support for the Carolina Grants and Innovation Hub and Research Facilities & Infrastructure within the Office of the Vice President for Research.

Prior to joining the Office of the Vice President for Research, Cleveland was an aviation instructor for intermediate level maintenance in the Navy, where she provided curriculum updates, formal course reviews and safety assessments to ensure continued alignment of all classes and objectives. While serving in the Navy, she earned her Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Columbia College of Missouri and gained Master Training Specialist certification.

 

Vanessa Nelson-Reed, Ph.D. | Director of Proposal Development

As the Director for Proposal Development, Vanessa Nelson-Reed supports university faculty through concierge research development services as they prepare for submission.  She and her staff of grant writers assist with the comprehensive and enhanced research development services for the Carolina Grants and Innovation Hub.

Before this role, Reed served as director of federal programs for Colleton County school district in Walterboro, South Carolina. She has served as the grant writing certificate program instructor at USC’s Office of Continuing Education and Conferences since 2011. Reed earned her Bachelor of Arts in journalism from the University of South Carolina, her master’s degree in College Student Personnel from Virginia Tech and her Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership Studies from Capella University.