Bridging the Gap: Research Administration and Proposal Development Brigette Pfister, MHRD, CRA Trisha Southergill, MPA, CRA Jessica Venable, MA

Meet Your Presenters: O Brigette Pfister, Director of Sponsored Programs for Humanities & Sciences, VCU O RA & PD O Trisha Southergill, Director of Grant Support Services, Clemson University O RA O Jessica Venable, Grant & Research Analyst in the Office of Research, VCU O PD

Today’s Agenda O What are Research Administration and Proposal Development? O Research Development as an Emerging Field O Differences and Similarities (or, Why We Need a Bridge) O Building a Bridge at Your Institution O Q&A

Research Administration O Common Tasks in RA: O Budgeting O Filling out forms O Interpreting policy, law, and regulations O Working with PIs O Negotiating contracts O Accounting O Project management O..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 planning O Last-minute submissions O 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 PD O Identifying funding opportunities O Assembling project teams O Grantwriting O Strategic decisionmaking O Project management O 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 expectations O …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: 1959 O Membership: Thousands O Primary focus: Compliance O Professional Association: NORDP O Established in: 2010 O Membership: 500 O Primary focus: Scholarship (“research excellence”)

Strategic Planning Research Administration Proposal Development O Reporting and projections O F&A rate negotiations O Cost Share issues O Space studies O Teambuilding for response to strategic RFPs O Promoting institutional priorities O Developing strategic relationships O Internal and external

Training and Communication Research Administration Proposal Development O When there is time: O PI responsibilities O Cost principles and budgeting O Compliance O Funding opportunities O All the time: O Funding opportunities O Coordinating agency visits O Grantwriting bootcamp programs O Mentoring programs and mock reviews

Proposal Support Research Administration Proposal Development O Checking format, page limits, etc. O Completing forms O Budgeting assistance O Ensuring compliance O Fostering ideas O Teambuilding O Drafting language O Proposal planning and process management

Proposal Submission Research Administration Proposal Development O 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-Award Research Administration Proposal Development O Award Negotiations O Accounting and fund management O Documentation and backup O Audit O 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) O Trisha Southergill, MPA, CRA (864) O Jessica Venable, MA (804)