1. The Case for IT Planning for Research Enterprises William F. Decker Senior Associate VP for Research (bill-decker@uiowa.edu) EDUCAUSE Live! October 11, 2005

2. October 11, 2005 2 Outline I.Issues of concern for the Chief Research Officer (CRO) II.Relating these concerns to IT and responsibilities of the Chief Information Officer (CIO), including suggestions for possible CRO/CIO engagement

3. October 11, 2005 3 Problems

4. October 11, 2005 4 Things Keeping CROs Awake at Night Pre-award support Post-award support Policy development and research integrity Regulatory compliance Laboratory and researcher security Researcher productivity Technology transfer and economic development Growing the research enterprise / staying competitive

5. October 11, 2005 5 Pre-award Support Information on sources of external support— optimizing availability and impact Efficient proposal preparation processes Connecting with Federal and other e- systems Optimized proposal submission processes Capture of appropriate data; identification of significant issues; records retention

6. October 11, 2005 6 Post-Award Support Award notification Related information dissemination—press releases; letters of congratulations; publicity Grant accounting designed to aid researchers and assure compliance Compliance assistance and monitoring Grant/contract credit reporting

7. October 11, 2005 7 Policy Development and Research Integrity Protection of basic academic freedoms Confidential or classified research issues Complexities related to the involvement of foreign nationals Balancing competing interests (e.g. corporate versus academic) Conflict of interest/conflict of commitment Appropriate use of university facilities Data ownership, retention, and access Other…

8. October 11, 2005 8 Regulatory Compliance Optimized, timely compliance processes—for example, protocol approvals Information dissemination, training, certification Administrative support for IRB, IACUC, Biosafety Committee, Hazardous Waste Management, Radiation Safety Committee, and on and on and … Export controls laws

9. October 11, 2005 9 Laboratory and Researcher Security Security of buildings, laboratories, offices Animal care and protection Equipment protection Hazardous materials issues Research data protection and recovery Faculty, staff, and student security On-campus and off-campus issues

10. October 11, 2005 10 Researcher Productivity Researcher or research program profiling Targeted program information Non-intrusive, yet effective regulatory compliance support Proposal writing support Effective grant accounting Rapid contract execution Infrastructure optimization

11. October 11, 2005 11 Technology Transfer and Economic Development Administrative support for disclosures, patent management, portfolio management, licensing and options Relationship management support IP training and processes Entrepreneurial training and processes

12. October 11, 2005 12 Growing the Research Enterprise / Staying Competitive All the above Public relations, perhaps especially for public institutions Metrics and measurements Increased competitiveness Growing compliance costs Growing infrastructure costs Interdisciplinary support; inter-institutional support Identifying and supporting new areas of strength; maintaining existing strengths

13. October 11, 2005 13 Solutions

14. October 11, 2005 14 Possible CRO Priorities for IT and CIOs Direct research support Assistance in maintaining competitiveness Cost control Business process efficiency Optimal information services Measurement, assessment, and planning Security systems and access controls

15. October 11, 2005 15 Direct Research Support Focus on what is important: creation, understanding, dissemination, insight, preservation, locating, organizing, communicating, … Drivers: big science, big data, multidisciplinary approaches, problem complexity, capability Selected responses: networking, computation, visualization, collaboration, storage and information management Distinguishing between what can be done well centrally and what can be done well in decentralized ways

16. October 11, 2005 16 Assistance in Maintaining Competitiveness Engaging the disciplinary communities— assisting, rather than relying on, the CRO Building the case for infrastructure investments Partnerships to advance opportunities Productivity and efficiency of related business processes

17. October 11, 2005 17 Cost Control Reducing the cost of lost opportunity Maximizing researcher productivity Infrastructure cost—increasing the utility of shared resources, enhancing competitive opportunity Minimizing overhead and reducing duplication Mitigation of risk

18. October 11, 2005 18 Business Process Efficiency Design and redesign (continuous process improvement) Workflow support Monitoring, tracking, and triggering Reporting Data and record keeping, collection, retention, flexibility, and adaptability Integration with accounting and financial systems Researchers as “operators of small businesses”

19. October 11, 2005 19 Optimal Information Services Information availability, accessibility, and utility Matching information with needs Publicity with a purpose—influence, public education

20. October 11, 2005 20 Measurement, Assessment, and Planning Systems and business processes that provide information to aid in managing productivity and efficiency Collaboration in identifying areas of opportunity Utilization measurements and capacity planning Creating the cases for investment

21. October 11, 2005 21 Security Systems and Access Controls Data protection, backup, and recovery; access controls and use authorization Assistance in managing compliance with regulatory responsibilities Integration with other campus responsibilities Improved understanding of the complexity of the systems that result from combinations of facilities management, IT, business processes, policies, and human social systems

22. October 11, 2005 22 Outcomes

23. October 11, 2005 23 CRO/CIO Collaborations Joint planning Faculty relationships A base of trust built on delivered service, flexibility, consultation, and understanding Collaboration in identifying and supporting opportunity Ongoing attention

24. October 11, 2005 24 Resource Ideas Council on Governmental Relations (COGR): www.cogr.edu [see especially the “Members Only” section under “Educational Materials”] www.cogr.edu Purdue University case study: http://www.educause.edu/LibraryDetailPage/666?ID=ECS0507 http://www.educause.edu/LibraryDetailPage/666?ID=ECS0507 Council on Competitiveness: www.compete.org [see especially their Innovate America report]www.compete.org National Academies Press topics on research issues and leadership: http://www.nap.edu/category.html?id=ri http://www.nap.edu/category.html?id=ri