bridging the gap: research administration and proposal development

Bridging the Gap: Research Administration and

Proposal DevelopmentBrigette Pfister, MHRD, CRATrisha Southergill, MPA, CRA

Jessica Venable, MA

Meet Your Presenters:O Brigette Pfister, Director of Sponsored

Programs for Humanities & Sciences, VCUO RA & PD

O Trisha Southergill, Director of Grant Support Services, Clemson UniversityO RA

O Jessica Venable, Grant & Research Analyst in the Office of Research, VCUO PD

Today’s AgendaO What are Research Administration

and Proposal Development?O Research Development as an

Emerging FieldO Differences and Similarities (or, Why

We Need a Bridge)O Building a Bridge at Your InstitutionO Q&A

Research Administration

O Common Tasks in RA:O BudgetingO Filling out formsO Interpreting

policy, law, and regulations

O Working with PIsO Negotiating

contractsO AccountingO Project

managementO ..and more!

The management and administration of research activity at an institution,

from proposal of a project, through funding, to

closeout

Common Issues in Research

Administration

O Poor planningO Last-minute

submissionsO Deadlines!O Missing approvals

and documentation

O Changing or conflicting rules

O Inefficient processes

O Difficult organizational culture

O ..and more!

The things that make us all crazy:

Proposal Development

O Common Tasks in PDO Identifying

funding opportunities

O Assembling project teams

O GrantwritingO Strategic

decisionmakingO Project

managementO Interpreting

policy, law, and regulations

O …and more!

Also known as Research Development. An emerging

field focusing on a spectrum of activities ranging from strategic planning to research

administration, depending on institutional needs

Common Issues in Proposal

Development

O Managing competing interests

O Maintaining institutional priorities

O Conflicts between policy and practice

O Deadlines!O Managing

expectationsO …and more!

The things that make us all crazy:

Proposal Development as an Emerging Field:

Research Administration

Proposal Development

O Professional Association: NCURA

O Established in: 1959O Membership:

ThousandsO Primary focus:

Compliance

O Professional Association: NORDP

O Established in: 2010O Membership: 500O Primary focus:

Scholarship (“research excellence”)

Strategic PlanningResearch

AdministrationProposal

DevelopmentO Reporting and

projectionsO F&A rate

negotiationsO Cost Share

issuesO Space studies

O Teambuilding for response to strategic RFPs

O Promoting institutional priorities

O Developing strategic relationshipsO Internal and external

Training and Communication

Research Administration

Proposal Development

O When there is time:O PI

responsibilitiesO Cost principles

and budgetingO ComplianceO Funding

opportunities

O All the time:O Funding

opportunitiesO Coordinating agency

visitsO Grantwriting

bootcamp programsO Mentoring programs

and mock reviews

Proposal SupportResearch

AdministrationProposal

DevelopmentO Checking format,

page limits, etc.O Completing formsO Budgeting

assistanceO Ensuring

compliance

O Fostering ideasO TeambuildingO Drafting languageO Proposal planning

and process management

Proposal SubmissionResearch

AdministrationProposal

DevelopmentO Obtaining

approvals and signatures

O Managing multiple deadlines

O Actual submission to the sponsor

O Helping the PI cope

O Maintaining open lines of communication

Post-AwardResearch

AdministrationProposal

DevelopmentO Award NegotiationsO Accounting and

fund managementO Documentation

and backupO AuditO Closeout

O Meeting compliance mandates

O Planning for related projects in the future

End Goal for Both RA & PD: Competitive Proposals

Why We Need A Bridge:

PI

RA

PD

Building Your Bridge

When you don’t have a PD office at your institution:O Work with your

counterparts in other departments/units to build research teams

O Bring together junior and senior faculty

Integrating Proposal Development into Your

Research Administration Workflow

If you don’t have PD:O Get involved with

faculty mentoring programs.

O Think about bringing in outside speakers or workshops.

O Ask about PD tools like Pivot for funding opportunities and expertise data.

O Find a PD “mentor” from another institution.

O Look at resources available through NORDP.

Building Your Bridge

When you do have a PD office at your institution:O Reach out to your

PD counterpart. Identify complementary tasks and gaps.

O Share tools and best practices.

O Communicate regularly.

Integrating Proposal Development into Your

Research Administration Workflow

If you do have PD:O Show a united

front to faculty and administration.

O Co-facilitate meetings and trainings.

O Get on the same team and keep each other in the loop.

O Start a network of RA and PD professionals on your campus.

O Share problems and look for common solutions.

Questions?

O Brigette Pfister, MHRD, CRA (804) 827-1359 bspfister@vcu.edu

O Trisha Southergill, MPA, CRA (864) 656-6208 priest2@clemson.edu

O Jessica Venable, MA(804) 827-1443 jcvenable@vcu.edu