My institution was a long-time user of COS, and when the upgrade was made to Pivot, we thoroughly researched other databases out there due to the increased price of Pivot.  We ended up narrowing down our final choices to the Grants Resource Center (GRC), SPINplus, and Pivot.  I even personally put together a comparison chart of all 3 databases showing the features/benefits/weaknesses/prices of each.  (If you’d like a copy of this chart, please send me a request via a private email message. I have no problem sharing it.)

Ultimately, despite Pivot being the most expensive choice, we decided to stick with it.  This was mainly due to two main reasons: 1) The advanced search capabilities, tracking and reporting features, and other unique capabilities were unmatched by any other system, and 2) We decided it would be beneficial to continue with the system which many of our faculty members were already registered in and familiar with, rather than “starting over” with a new system.

So far, we are extremely happy with Pivot, but if your institution just cannot afford it, I would recommend looking into SPINplus as another option.  Although it does not offer the tracking, matching, and reporting features that Pivot does, it includes a comprehensive database of funding opps with advanced search features like Pivot, and costs less.

Jessica Adamo
Pre-Award Development Specialist
Faculty Support Center, Office of Sponsored Programs
Stevens Institute of Technology
201.216.5204 (tel)
201.216.8909 (fax)
xxxxxx@stevens.edu

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