Workshops

With increased funding levels, heightened federal and state regulations and a shortage of staff, remaining current on grant reconciliation, effort management and subrecipient monitoring can seem overwhelming and unachievable. This workshop will provide realistic expectations, methods and templates on how to manage grants, effort and sub awards pushing research administrators from a state of reactivity to becoming more proactive at their institutions. Best practices are not about re-inventing the wheel, but sharing information and tools with colleagues, and understanding how using available resources to meet each individual’s needs. Principal Investigators rely heavily on research administrators to support their research and by having more up-to-date and accurate information, both parties will be more effective in their fields as well as having a more productive working relationship. This workshop will cover specific examples on reconciling and building projections for grants, how to effectively manage effort allocation and how to track subawards at the departmental/shared services level. This workshop will also discuss the importance of the relationship with the PI and how to develop productive meetings.

Content Level: Intermediate

Learning Objectives: 

1. By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to identify resources and tools to better equip them to manage their sponsored activity more proactively.

2. By the end of the workshop, participants will have a better understanding of managing effort allocation and subrecipient monitoring and how to use tools to remain current so they can provide their principal investigators the most accurate information.

Prerequisite: None  

Speaker(s):
Amanda Seymour, CRA, Manager, Attain Partners; Brandy Akers, Mississippi State University

Are you new to pre-award or do you feel overwhelmed when a PI contacts you for help developing a budget? Then let us help you not only understand the fundamentals of creating an effective budget for both federal and private grants, but also give you tips and tricks for creating time-saving templates. We will discuss effort and the considerations needed to account for the NIH salary cap, the benefits of a detailed travel budget, and calculating the correct F&A base. Additionally, translating the budget to the budget justification will be discussed.

Content Level: Basic

Learning Objectives: 

1. Outline the major factors in an effective budget

2. Provide detail on the budget components most heavily reviewed by sponsors

Prerequisite: None  

Speaker(s):
Erin Bhagvat, Assistant Director, University of South Florida; Matthew Anderson, Associate Dean for Research, University of South Florida; Victoria Mothershed, Department Manager, University of South Florida

Communication is key to a successful research project, whether submitting a proposal or executing an award. Breakdowns or failures in communication can lead to inter-office strife, personnel issues, and sometimes an unsuccessful project. We’ve all had a problematic individual that create speedbumps. This panel session is designed to discuss effective ways to deal with problematic personnel and skills that allow you to anticipate issues. We encourage audience participation as well. If you have a current issue you are struggling with and are willing to share, we would love to discuss potential roadmaps for a successful resolution. 

Content Level: Basic

Learning Objectives: 

1. Leave with tips and tricks for effective communication

2. Develop skills to anticipate and avoid identifiable issues 

Prerequisite: None  

Speaker(s):
John Hedberg, CRA, Senior Associate, Attain Partners; Pamela Montgomery, Assistant Director, Finance & Administration, John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute, Duke University; Anthony Edmondson, Program Administrator - Propulsion Research Center, The University of Alabama at Huntsville

Content Level: Basic

Learning Objectives: 

1. Become familiar with types of proposals, understand effective writing strategies, Interpret and address proposal guidelines.

2. Learn tips for an efficient and collaborative proposal management process.

Prerequisite: None  

Speaker(s):
Renee Vaughan, MDiv, MA, CRA, CRU Financial Practice Manager, Duke University SOM; Monique Gregory, CRA, MRA, Manager, Contracts & Grants, Pre-Award, College of Sciences; Kimberly McKoy, Assistant Director (Accountant), North Carolina State University

This workshop, intended for individuals with fewer than three years of experience, is designed to give newcomers to research administration a big picture of the profession. Topics covered will include finding funding opportunities; pre- and post-award administration; proposal development, review, and submission; award negotiation; administrative and fiscal regulations; accountability and risk management; and research, fiscal, and professional ethics.

Content Level: Basic

Learning Objectives: 

1. Identify pre- and post- award best practices for sponsored research administration.

2. Understand the components, and management of the pre- and post-award processes. 

Prerequisite: None 

Speaker(s): 
Judy Bristow, Vice President, Grants and Compliance, CEOc; Andrea Deaton, Consulting Specialist, Attain Partners, LLC; John Sites, HigherEd Consulting Manager, Huron Consulting Group

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Fundamentals provides a foundation in grants from NIH. As NIH is the single largest federal grant-awarding agency, this training opportunity is perfect both for someone new to research administration and for research administrators seeking to expand their knowledge of federal funding agencies. This full-day workshop covers the following topics: (1) Overview of NIH, including its mission, institutes, and funding focus, from pre-doctoral fellowships to large-scale research projects. (2) Policies and procedures essential to preparing successful grant applications. (3) Policies and procedures essential to managing grant awards. (4) Latest NIH policy updates

Content Level: Basic

Learning Objectives: .

Prerequisite: None  

Speaker(s):