The impact of the project management office on scientific research

Abstract This article aims to demonstrate that the project management office, an organizational unit recognized by PMBOK®, can support scientists in research project management, so they can engage in other activities. In order to test the hypothesis, the theoretical framework and data collection of projects funded by the Research Support Foundation in the State of São Paulo (Fapesp) and executed at the Medical School of Ribeirão Preto (FMRP) from 2009 to 2015 were investigated. The study showed that scientists would have met the requirements of the funding agency without this support. However, the office impacted the financial management of the project, an initiative aligned with the practices of foreign universities, in which support to scientists has already become a routine part of institutional support.