April 3, 2009

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In this issue:
• the open door with Dr. Lorne Babiuk
• Grants 2.0 Status Update
• Research Administration Day
• Bill 27 - the Alberta Research and Innovation Act

the open door with Dr. Lorne Babiuk

This article appeared as the open door feature in the April 3, 2009 issue of Folio:

The Research Services Office and Administrative Information Systems are in the final stages of development and testing of Grants 2.0, a major upgrade of the university’s research administration system through the implementation and integration of the PeopleSoft Grants and Contracts modules.

When Grants 2.0 is launched in May, the improved efficiency, accuracy and transparency of the new system will greatly benefit our research community by providing them greater access to the information needed to successfully manage research projects.

The Researcher Homepage will be of particular benefit, providing a quick summary of a researcher’s proposals and projects at the click of a mouse. Online training materials will be provided to assist researchers and administrators in using this tool, and staff in the Research Facilitation Offices will be available to answer questions when Grants 2.0 goes live.

Grants 2.0 is a major university endeavour with significant financial and staff resources dedicated to the project. The RSO has contributed a large number of staff to design, development and testing and, as a result, its daily operations have been significantly affected.

The RSO is working hard to meet clients’ needs at this extremely busy time, and here are a few ways that the research community can help:

• Please be patient—there is a lengthy queue of projects and not every one of them can be treated as a "rush". Attempts to jump the queue will only result in projects being further delayed.
• Ensure that internal grant review deadlines are met—the RSO cannot guarantee 24 hour or less turnaround time on applications.
• Advise the RSO at the earliest stages of research agreement discussions with potential sponsors. The RSO would like to work with researchers to ensure that their rights are protected while the university’s and sponsor’s policies are upheld.

Larry Kostiuk and I are currently co-chairing a working group examining ways to expedite the execution of research agreements. If we can simplify or eliminate bottlenecks, this will help reduce the time required to negotiate agreements. The working group will be reporting to the President’s Advisory Committee of Chairs this month.

It takes a strong team effort on the part of everyone to make research administration work. Grants 2.0 will greatly assist this effort by introducing efficiencies into the system and aiding the RSO in providing greater value-added service.

Grants 2.0 Status Update

Grants 2.0 is in its final stages, and Go Live is targeted for Monday, May 11th. Solution Development and System Testing are wrapping up. User Acceptance Testing, by both RSO and central units, is estimated to be 40 per cent complete, and to date test results have been positive.

Based on consultations with a focus group of researchers and administrators, the project team developed the Researcher Home Page, which is an easy to use, online summary of active proposals and projects. The Financial Overview - Flash Report provides a one-page summary of each project. One or two clicks are all that is required to get more detailed information.

Feedback from other groups who have seen demonstrations of the Researcher Home Page and Financial Overview - Flash Report, such as the University Research Policy Committee, has been positive. More information on these aspects of the solution can be found online.

The training of RSO staff began mid-March. Planning has started for training on the Researcher Home Page and Financial Overview - Flash Report, new tools for researchers and administrators. More details on campus training will be provided in the next issue of Countdown to Grants 2.0.

>> Sign up for Countdown to Grants 2.0

Research Administration Day

The Research Services Office offers continuing education and professional development seminars for university staff. Research Administration Day (RAD) provides practical presentations and interactive workshops focused on the complexity, diversity, and accountability of administrative responsibilities with research funding. The purpose of RAD is to promote and support excellence in research administration. Research Administration Day will be offered on June 2, 2009 at the Telus Centre.

RAD is designed for administrators who are involved with research administration and management at the Faculty, department and project level. Research Administration Day will continue to offer three learning streams to meet the differing needs of research administrators at the U of A: 100 (introductory), 200 (intermediate) and 400 (advanced) level sessions. Approximately 12 sessions will be provided throughout the day.

Full program details, session descriptions and registration information will be released in April and made available via the RSO website, Research FUNDamentals, the Learning Shop and Research Facilitation Offices.

Bill 27 - the Alberta Research and Innovation Act

On March 18, 2009, the province tabled legislation, Bill 27, the Alberta Research and Innovation Act, that seeks to better align its research and innovation system. If this legislation passes, the many funding agencies will be merged into four entities. Up to four research and innovation corporations will be created, covering the areas of health, bio-industries (agriculture, forestry, life sciences), energy and the environment, and bringing technology to market. Under this legislation, the endowment fund for the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research will continue. All existing commitments will be met. There is no intention to decrease funding for health research.

The province remains strongly committed to the principles of excellence and rigorous peer review that have characterized research in all areas. The Alberta government and the university have invested heavily in research and infrastructure and will not contemplate compromising Alberta’s successes in these areas. Government further underscored that basic research is our foundation, and it is one of the reasons that Alberta is a destination for top researchers.

As part of the realignment plan, in addition to creating the four new entities, the government has been working towards new mechanisms to fund basic and applied research at the universities in all areas, including social sciences, humanities and arts. A transition plan is being developed, and the universities are part of the team formulating the plan. This realignment has been in the planning stages for a long time as part of Alberta Advanced Education and Technology’s ongoing consultation.

>> Bill 27 News Release

Contacting RSO

Research FUNDamentals is RSO's research administration eNewsletter.
It is delivered by e-mail subscription.

Volume 5 Issue 1

Editor

Cindy Lieu
Communications Coordinator

Contributors

RSO Management Committee

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