Kimberly Bailey Read

To explore how growth in research development (RD) is taking shape, I interviewed two leaders from RD programs who are actively building and redesigning innovative approaches to support their institutions’ research goals. This synopsis provides insight for exploring how to build or redesign a research development program.

Who has gone back to files for an earlier submission and had to sort through dozens of documents with wild names to find the final version that was submitted? You found what you needed, so does it matter? The only reason to file or save a document is to retrieve it later. If retrieval is difficult or impossible, then the filing system isn’t doing its job. A system that hides information instead of surfacing it when needed is, at best, inefficient and, at worst, completely broken

You have a Request For Application to review for a new principal investigator (PI) in the College of Education. You have enough time to do a read-through and start your checklist for the first meeting with Dr. Eager. If this proposal is awarded, Dr. Eager may need to draft a Data Use Agreement (DUA). What determines if the DUA will be required?

One of the many benefits of being a member of SRAI is being able to earn a certificate for a specific topic, whether you are new to research administration or looking to learn more about another function within research administration. With the knowledge you will have gained through earning a certificate on a specific topic, you will be able to share that with your colleagues as well as apply the information directly to your roles and responsibilities. These certificates add to the breadth of your career as a research administrator.

Once you have your research administration team in place, the question arises: is this the optimal structure to meet the unit's current needs? Most units maintain the existing infrastructure set in place by their predecessors, replacing staff only when lost to attrition. Periodically, however, a manager needs to step back and evaluate the team.

Building your team is a scientific exercise. In creating your structure and adding personnel, the scientific method becomes handy – ask your questions, perform a literature review, and outline your methods. Planning takes time. Analyzing what has worked for other institutions can help you bypass issues and focus on positive growth that others may have already experienced.

As the end of a funded project approaches, a large, unobligated balance can pose challenges for research administrators and principal investigators (PIs). This month, the Spotlight examines several scenarios that may give rise to this situation and offers strategies to make the best use of awarded monies before time runs out.