Blogs

Note from the Editor | Why SRAI?

By SRAI News
Note from the Editor | Why SRAI? The diversity of SRAI's members, member organizations, and program offerings make us the premier research management society. But don't believe us, "hear" it from our peers! We asked 15 SRAI members Why SRAI? and Why they Volunteer?   and this is what they told us.  Marchon Jackson, BS,MBA,  Director of Sponsored Programs Accounting and Compliance, University of Maryland College Park 15 years in RA, since 2015 a member of SRAI Why SRAI: I love SRA International’s diversity and its culture of openness. It is enriching to be active in an organization whose membership spans the entire spectrum of research institutions ...
0 comments

LevelUp: Propagating Professional Proficiency

By SRAI News
LevelUp: Propagating Professional Proficiency It has been almost 2 years since SRA International first contacted me about contributing to a new research administration training platform. Having started my career with a research team lacking in research administration expertise, I can relate to the challenges early and mid-career professionals face developing the essential skills necessary to achieve professional excellence. LevelUP gave me the opportunity to give back to the community and share some insights gathered through a lot of trial and error. When this program was originally explained to me, I thought about one of my favorite components of our ...
0 comments

Greetings SRAI!

By SRAI News
Greetings SRA! As we all know, funding is getting more competitive and the application process is more intricate and nuanced than ever before. Researchers and administrators must be more creative and rigorous to remain viable. Sponsors are increasingly pushing for collaborative research to address complex questions. Thus, many institutions have created and refined Research Development and Proposal Development offices and personnel to build vital infrastructure to support and enable researchers to be as productive and successful as possible. Now, how do we make these offices and professionals as effective and successful as well? Over the last year, we have ...
0 comments

LevelUp: My Journey in Micro-Credentialing

By SRAI News
LevelUp: My Journey in Micro-Credentialing The email read, “SRA International Education and Professional Development Committee (EPDC) is undergoing a massive project to develop a Professional Development Framework and a model for accreditation. We are developing a small task force of 6-8 experienced research administrators to initially engage in this project and we would like to invite you to participate.”  How could I turn that down especially when is missed the operative work….. massive .  For someone whose passion is developing research administration professionals, how could I turn that down?  Little did I know when I received that invitation over two ...
0 comments

P.S. Finding Your Way

By SRAI News
Post Scriptum: Finding Your Way Do you remember my article in the September Catalyst, Finding Your Why , the 92-year-old professor I mentioned as my gold standard for PI and his collaborators was awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He is now 97 years old, still the gold standard submitting proposals with plenty of lead time and fully compliant on all his obligations. And he is still an active researcher who submits proposals. My why bucket runneth over! For the full article, please see here . Authored by:   Susan Wyatt Sedwick ,  CRA,  Senior Consulting Associate Attain LL
0 comments

New Membership Offering – Odyssey Program

By SRAI News
New Membership Offering – Odyssey Program SRAI IS PILOTING A MENTOR PROGRAM AND NEEDS YOUR PARTICIPATION “Colleagues are a wonderful thing – but mentors, that’s where the real work gets done.” — Junot Diaz Have you wanted a mentor? Have you wanted to be a mentor? Are you not sure how to arrange a great mentor/mentee partnership? SRAI has a terrific opportunity for any of you that have been asking these questions. Throughout time, the term “mentor” has become synonymous with someone who is trusted, wise, and able to guide us through a professional and even personal period of growth in our lives. “Mentor” was an actual Greek counselor in Homer’s poem ...
0 comments

Author Fellowship Program Call for Cohort 4 Applications

By SRAI News
Author Fellowship Program Call for Cohort 4 Applications The Journal of Research Administration’s Author Fellowship Program will begin accepting applications for its fourth cohort on September 25 (Research Administrators Day). The JRA Author Fellowship Program pairs research administrators who want to publish a peer-reviewed article with experienced Peer Advisors in a six-month program. The Fellows will receive one-on-one guidance from their Peer Advisor in writing an article for a peer-reviewed journal. Areas of support can include help in developing a clear topic and outline based on the Fellow’s interest, performing a literature review, planning and ...
0 comments

Know Before You Go | 2019 SRAI Annual Meeting

By SRAI News
Know before you go | 2019 SRAI Annual Meeting The Co-Chairs are looking forward to welcoming you to the San Francisco Hilton Union Square.  While we are excited about the program (more about the program a bit later) and the innovations being introduced, we hope that your free time allows you the opportunity to explore this fabulous city.  Union Square is considered by many to be the heart of the City.  The hotel is conveniently located to many of the city attractions; unique neighborhoods, including Chinatown and Nob Hill, museums, theatres, and landmarks unique to SF.  Union Square is home to one of the largest shopping areas in the United States.  There ...
0 comments

Southern Section Welcomes Ana Feliciano to Treasurer Position

By SRAI News
Southern Section Welcomes Ana Feliciano to Treasurer Position In September, the Southern Section held a special election for the Treasurer position, as former Treasurer, Amy Roberts, was recently presented with a great opportunity at her university too good to pass up. We are pleased to share that Ana Feliciano has been elected as the incoming Treasurer, and her term began October 1. Ana is the Post Award Coordinator for the Deanship of External Funds at the University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras, and has been in the field of research administration for 26 years. Welcome, Ana, and we are excited to have you in this role! We will miss you, Amy, and wish you ...
0 comments

Call for Proposals: 2020 SRAI Ohio Chapter Meeting

By SRAI News
Call for Proposals The Ohio Chapter of the Society of Research Administrators International is currently looking for informed subject matter experts to speak at the 2020 Ohio Chapter Meeting on June 8, 2020 in the Cincinnati, Ohio area ( location details in progress ). We are seeking speakers who can contribute new insights, discussions, and/or practices on research administration. Presenting a session at an SRAI Chapter Meeting provides you with an excellent opportunity to share your knowledge and learning experiences, increase your exposure, and network with other Research Administrators and Research Managers! New and previous speakers are welcomed! ...
0 comments

The Secret Life of a Research Administrator | Doing Something Scary Changed My Perspective

By SRAI News
Authored by Tonya K. Edvalson Clinical Research Compliance Officer University of Utah &  Membership Committee Chair A friend of mine once told me that I should do something every day that scares me. Speaking in public used to scare me. I am doing that thanks in large part to the support of many of you in SRAI. There are two things that have held me back from enjoying Utah, the beautiful state where I live, heights and water. Heights scare me because of an incident when I was very young. The thought of walking along the side of the mountain is terrifying, but give me a roller coaster and thrill ride any day! Hiking has opened up new adventures ...
0 comments

Note from the Editor | What will you miss at the #SRAI2019AM

By SRAI News
Authored by Seema Dhindaw Assistant Director of Radiology Research Operations New York University Langone Medical Center & Catalyst Co-editor Less than a month until the #SRA2019AM and like everyone else, we are excited about the upcoming conference in San Francisco. There are so many opportunities that the meeting offers and some of those are below: Learn the latest trends and earn up to 27 CEUs / contact hours 4 SRAI Certificates offered in full: Introduction to Research Administration and Management (IRAM); Pre-Award (PA); Practice of Research Administration and Management (PRAM); & Research Law (RL) 7 Networking Events - Each ...
0 comments

View from the Top | LevelUP

By SRAI News
Authored by Mark B. Hochman , PhD Director Research Management Resources Chair Micro-credentialing Task Force & Evan Roberts Executive Director SRAI By now you may have realized that SRAI is about to embark on the first step of perhaps its most ambitious project ever – the release on October 1 of the first modules in LevelUP – an online, just-in-time, learning program delivering research administration content direct to the desktop! These self-paced learning modules, with built-in assessment mechanisms and covering the wide gamut of topics that encompass our profession, will enable learners to gain digital badges, progressing through five levels ...
0 comments

Finding your Why

By SRAI News
Authored by Susan Wyatt Sedwick ,  CRA Senior Consulting Associate Attain LLC A few weeks ago, I lost my coveted why .  Have you ever lost your why ? Maybe it was a particularly big fail in having a proposal returned without action due to an oversight in review, inability to reach agreement in a contract negotiation, or a late final invoice. More often than not, I have lost my why when a principal investigator has, in my opinion unjustifiably, lashed out at my office or me personally for being an “impediment to research”.  In full disclosure, after I had a recent experience with losing and miraculously finding my why again, I conceived this ...
1 comment

Ode to Research Administration and Adam West OR I am Batman

By SRAI News
Authored by Derrick Gilmore   Deputy Provost for Research and Sponsored Programs Kentucky State University The path is never clear a word here, a comma there. Blank pages filled with hopes and dreams, creation and clarity, imperfect diatribes of gall. Confidence fueled by sleepless nights and days of ritualistic obedience. The PI, the PI, the PI, oh the PI, chants, and mantras of concept and collaboration, loud yet silently insecure. The links that bind department, vision, and mission fleeting yet necessary, allusive to independence and freedom of the academy. Sternness from training and school of thought yet pliable to the deities that give lifelike ...
0 comments

Congratulations to the 2019 SRAI Award Winners

By SRAI News
Authored by  Annedorte Vad Head of CBS Research Support Office Copenhagen Business School & Awards Committee Chair Congratulations to the 2019 SRAI Award winners and thank you to all the nominators! SRAI Awards & Scholarships offer individuals a number of opportunities to be acknowledged and honored for their remarkable contributions to the research administration & management profession and to the Society. Being recognized by your peers is a great honor and on behalf of SRAI and the Awards Committee, I want to congratulate this year's recipients and thank all of the nominators for taking the time to nominate a colleague they find ...
2 comments

Take the Educational Challenge

By SRAI News
Authored by Pam F. Miller ,  PhD Executive Director, Sponsored Projects Office University of California, Berkeley & 2019 SRAI Annual Meeting Co-chair It is a challenge to stay on top of all of the changes in policy, funding programs, laws, and compliance issues that constantly impact the field of research administration. Fortunately, there is the Society of Research Administrator International (SRAI).  SRAI is an international group of professionals who are always willing to share their experiences, expertise, coping strategies and workplace humor with each other in formal and informal ways at a chapter, section, and annual meetings. The next ...
0 comments

Meet SRAI Leadership: EPDC Committee

By SRAI News
Authored by Dara C. Little,   MPA Assistant Vice President for Research and Sponsored Programs Northern Illinois University & Mark Hochman,  PhD Director Research Management Resources In each monthly issue of the Catalyst, the “Meet SRAI Leadership” column introduces you to the SRAI leadership, committee members and volunteers. This virtual platform serves as a good starting base for meeting the members of the SRAI community. This is a great opportunity to get to know each other and we at the Catalyst want to hear from you! Share your story! Contact us to be featured in a future column, or nominate a co-worker or colleague to share their story. ...
0 comments

Updates: SRAI Certificate Program Offerings

By SRAI News
The Society of Research Administrators International (SRAI) offers 10 Certificates in the field of research administration, which includes research settings in hospitals, universities, nonprofits, and commercial institutions. The SRAI Certificate Program’s comprehensive training is specific to the educational needs of research administrators and managers. The certificate committee has concentrated on revising the SRAI Certificate program in the last couple of years and reviewing each curriculum to make sure that the program is still relevant.  The new and updated Certificate offerings are: Clinical Trials Research Administration Financial Management ...
0 comments

2020 SRA International North Carolina Chapter Meeting

By SRAI News
Authored by Pamela Montgomery Assistant Director of Finance & Administration Duke University President North Carolina Chapter We are delighted to announce that the 2020 North Carolina Chapter Meeting will be held at The Friday Conference Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Friday Conference Center provides exceptional, flexible event and meeting spaces. The date for the annual meeting is to be determined. Please be on the lookout for more details so
0 comments