Universities worldwide are increasingly employing professional research staff (PRS) to support institutional research missions of driving research revenue and excellence. A primary function of PRS roles is to support faculty in grant capture, particularly as funding bodies emphasize equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), knowledge mobilization (KMb), and Indigenous research. Due to their growing prevalence, PRS roles have attracted attention to improve their visibility and sustainability. However, they remain underexplored in institutional research settings, particularly regarding the pre-award grant landscape. This study examines the evolving roles of PRS in Canadian universities, focusing on their contributions to grant capture and the structures influencing their recognition. Using a descriptive qualitative design, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 17 participants, including PRS and research office leaders, from 10 universities. Participants held roles spanning EDI, KMb, research development, and grant management, offering diverse perspectives on the challenges and contributions of PRS. Thematic analysis revealed four key findings: PRS play multifaceted roles that blur technical and conceptual; PRS roles are perceived to be misunderstood by those utilizing their services; recognition of PRS efforts is inconsistent and often limited to informal or interpersonal contexts; and PRS work remains undervalued. Together, these issues perpetuate the invisibility of PRS work, challenging the success of current strategies to address visibility and highlighting gaps in institutional acknowledgment. Our results suggest that undervaluing PRS contributions risks limiting their potential and undermining grant capture success. This study underscores the need for deeper engagement with PRS experiences to enhance their roles and contributions in academia.