Call for Proposals

1. Click on the "Submit A Speaking Proposal" button on this page. You are going to be transferred to another webpage. 

2. Complete the prompts on the proposal submission form, and keep in mind which questions are required to complete your submission. 

3. Hit the submit button once you are ready to complete your submission. Please note that once submitted, you cannot edit your proposal submission(s). If you want to make any changes before Friday, November 17, please send an email to Gina Snyder at gsnyder@srainternational.org.

You could choose between workshops (three- or six-hour deep dives) , sessions (60 minutes), or roundtable discussions (60 minute informal gatherings).  

For more detailed information on formats please see below: 

Workshop: Three- or Six-Hour deep dives into specific learning topics, led by one or more experts. These are designed to allow participants to more fully explore an area of interest, learn new skills and develop new strategies. Workshops may include more hands-on exercises, discussion groups, and other in-depth experiences.

Session: 60-minute sessions can be in the form of presentation, case study, discussion, panel or step-by-step presentation. The majority of concurrent sessions at SRAI meetings have typically fit in this category and form the core of conference offerings. Presenters are encouraged to use active learning techniques to engage audiences, distribute materials and respond to follow-up requests for more information.

Roundtable Discussion: An informal gathering of attendees, led by an expert or mentor. The Roundtable Discussions allow for small groups to interact and “continue the conversation” on many topics already covered in the traditional sessions or workshops. The Roundtable Discussions are meant to encourage networking and connect with peers for future interactions after the conference ends. *

• SRA International will support the speakers with any questions in regard to the program and the logistics.

• SRA International will advertise the program, track all program attendance and provide all program registrants with a confirmation e-mail. SRA International will also help respond to e-mail and telephone inquiries about the program. 

• SRA International will provide all registrants with continuing education credit hours. 

• SRA International will handle all technical aspects of the conference. 

• SRA International is a volunteer organization. No reimbursement or stipends are being offered.

There is no limit on the number of proposals you may submit, however a speaker cannot present in more than 1 workshop and 2 concurrent sessions.

• Before you start with the online submission process, please review the SRA International Speaker Guideline Information. You will be required to sign and agree to these guidelines if your proposal is accepted.

• Complete the online speaking proposal submission to conduct a workshop, session and/or a roundtable discussion. 
  
  
• Confirm your intention to speak at the conference and complete Speaker and Presentation release forms submitted to you. You must confirm your intention to speak by Friday, January 12, 2024. 

• Provide a PowerPoint presentation  and any poll questions you may use by the deadline. Headquarters to post PDF versions of the PowerPoint presentations on the conference website unless otherwise noted by the speaker. These must be submitted no later than Monday, February 5, 2024. 

You cannot directly make changes to your proposal once submitted. If you want to make any changes before Friday, November 17, please send an email to Gina Snyder at gsnyder@srainternational.org.

There are five (5) tracks that are offered at this conference.

For full descriptions please review the definitions for each track below. 

Grant Accounting: This track is designed to provide training and development in all matters related to the allocation of expenses to sponsored projects, financial monitoring and adjustments of active awards, financial regulations and compliance, and sponsor reporting. The primary goal is for this track to build core capacities in early-career grant accountants and cultivate more profound understanding and nuances to more complex financial topics for advanced learners. Basic training sessions topics could include monitoring expenditures, cost transfers, portfolio management, and monthly closes, financial reporting, managing accounts receivable, drawing down funds from federal sponsors, and final financial reporting. Additionally, consideration should be given to including these topics as they relate to different sponsor types (Federal, non-profit, commercial) and different award/agreement types (cost-reimbursable vs. fixed-price, clinical trial agreements, sub-recipients, etc.). Intermediate and advanced topics could include all of the above topics considered through the perspective of managers, directors, and senior leadership. Hot topics and updates to changes in regulations and methodologies will be very beneficial to the professional community. Particular emphasis could be placed on managing accounts receivable, collaborating with department administrators, ERP system management, and closing out awards.

Departmental Administration Finance: This track is focused on building skills for department administrators who work directly with Principal Investigators and research teams. Sessions within this track should help early-career DAs develop foundational principles such as allowability, allocability, and consistency when making charges to sponsored projects, understanding Uniform Guidance, allocating and managing effort, differences between managing fixed-price and cost-reimbursable awards, portfolio management, sub-recipient monitoring, managing specific funding mechanisms (i.e., career development awards, fellowships, cooperative agreements, training grants, etc.), and residual balance transfers. Intermediate and advanced topics in this area could be focused on emerging hot topics, inter-departmental collaboration, financial reporting, effort reporting, institutional base salaries, data management and shadow systems, and managing cost transfers.

Non-Financial Post-Award: This track is designed to cover all non-financial activities related to sponsored projects from the period immediately after an award has been received through final sponsor reporting. Early career professionals would benefit from sessions on topics including budget set-up, regulatory compliance, managing financial conflict of interest, effort reporting, sponsor prior authorizations (regulations and requests), preparing and submitting progress reports, and final scientific and invention reporting. Advanced sessions could take deeper dives into these areas and also explore nuances within these areas by focusing on specific sponsor and award mechanisms.

Financial Leadership: This track provides an opportunity to engage current and future leaders of finance in training and conversations about managing diverse teams of grant accountants, A/R specialists, IT groups, and costing experts. Sessions could include professional development of leadership skills, strategies, and approaches to change management, strategic planning, and project management. Additionally, leadership sessions on organizational structures, managing complex personality types, management, and leadership styles, building team cohesion, crisis management, and mentoring may be of interest to this group of professionals.

Advanced Finance Topics: This track should consist of sessions and panel discussions to provide advanced training and stimulate conversation on complex, pressing challenges facing finance specialists and senior financial leaders. Topic areas may include managing F&A and fringe benefit rate development and negotiations, managing A/R, ERP system implementations, and upgrades, and creating, managing, and refining chart of accounts, financial close-out projects, data migration for new and upgraded IT systems, and service center rate development and maintenance. Policy and procedure development, collaborating with Central finance, and petty cash management (philosophy, systems, etc.) may be of interest to this community. *

The proposals are going to be reviewed November 2023. Notifications will be sent in December 2023.