2019 Western/Southern Section Meeting

Educational Program

Keynotes

Ellen Ochoa recently retired as the Director of the Johnson Space Center in Houston. She served on 4 missions to the International Space Station, logging nearly 1,000 hours. She was the first Hispanic woman to go in space when she flew on a nine-day mission aboard the shuttle Discovery in 1993. Learn more about Ellen.

Robert Harman founded and is the current CEO of VetStem Biopharma, the first US-based commercial veterinary stem cell company. Robert has overseen the completion of more than 1,000 contract research projects in his career for the development of veterinary and human biotechnology products. Learn more about Robert.

Certificates

Financial Management (FM)

The financial research administration series is designed for new and intermediate administrators responsible for providing financial support on a pre- or post-award basis. The certificate content is also applicable to mid- and upper-level administrators who assume oversight responsibility for financial management of sponsored program activity and to support staff responsible for developing financial and compliance management systems.

The certificate provides an understanding of the regulatory foundation for the direct and indirect costing of sponsored program activity, financial management decision-making and system development.

The required workshop for the FM certificate is: WS1:It’s About the Money: Budgets, Responsibility, Costing, & Sponsor Guidelines.

One (1) full-day workshop and seven (7) concurrent sessions (four [4] required sessions; three [3] elective session).

Introduction to Research Administration and Management (IRAM)

Ideal for someone new to the profession or as a refresher for a more seasoned research administrator, The Introduction to Research Administration and Management certificate explores the broad scope of the multi-faceted profession of research administration. The comprehensive curriculum - developed by some of the "best of the best" instructors in the field - provides an overview and introduction to the broad field of research administration and management. Elements of the curriculum include understanding the environment and context within which research administration is conducted as it relates to such diverse areas as research law, research ethics, fiscal management, regulatory compliance, sponsored program administration, and pre- and post-award management. The required workshop for the IRAM certificate is WS2: Fundamentals of Research Administration and Management.

One (1) full-day workshop and seven (7) concurrent sessions (five [5] required sessions; two [2] elective sessions).

Research Development (RD)

The Research Development certificate is designed for specialists who work with researchers to improve the number, size and quality of their grant proposals, and who participate in the development of strategies and practices to enhance and expand the institution’s research agenda. The certificate’s aims are:

1. To support new and ongoing initiatives that will grow the institution’s position in sponsored research
2. To provide strategic direction and expert support for the institutional research enterprise
3. To develop investigator capacity to submit more and better individual proposals
4. To improve the success rate of proposals submitted by the institution, especially those targeted to larger, more complex grant programs.

The required workshops for the RD certificate are WS4: Research Development I: Fundamentals of Research Development and WS6: Research Development II: Strategic Planning for Institutional and Individual Research Development.

Two (2) half-day workshops and seven (7) concurrent sessions (four [4] required sessions; three [3] elective sessions).

Certificate Tracking Booklet

The tracking booklet allows members to easily record their progress. Pick up a Certificate Tracking Booklet at registration and obtain a sticker at the conclusion of each workshop or session. Once all coursework has been completed turn in your documentation to Registration at the meeting or send us an email to receive your certificate of completion. If you attended a workshop or session at a previous SRAI meeting, list the meeting on the line next to the course. SRAI staff will verify your attendance at previous meetings.

Tracks

Professional Development (PD)

Hosts workshops and sessions geared towards:

• Continuing education commitment
• Building on personal growth and development
• Leadership
• Quality of life development
• Self-assessment
• Supervisor/staff relations
• Industrial/ workplace psychology
• Emerging role of research administrators within the culture of research

Sponsored Programs Planning, Development and Deliveries (SP)

This track relates to the development and delivery of sponsored programs. Topics may include:

• How to develop collaborative partnerships with industry, government and non-profit sectors
• Identifying strategies in developing public-private partnerships
• Institutional capacity building, including supply-side partnerships
• Faculty, positioning; effective grant writing techniques
• The role of the research administrator in sponsored programs development
• Diversifying funding sources
• Communication strategies in sponsored programs development
• Organizational and team structures to support successful program development

Financial and Post-Award Administration (FA)

Topics include:

• Research cost accounting
• Auditing
• OMB requirements for universities, hospitals, private sector
• Matching funds issues/cost sharing
• Financial conflict of interest issues
• Facilities and administration costs
• Purchasing
• Salaries, compensation, honoraria
• Travel allocability and allowability
• Working with sponsoring agencies and subrecipient monitoring

Sponsors & Agencies (SA)

Covers:

• The nature of “sponsorship”
• Defining roles and responsibilities between sponsors, grantors, awardees
• Private sector sponsors: technology, foundations; state sponsorship issues
• Federal agency updates
• New initiatives in research
• International agency relations
• Working with program officer leadership
• Sponsoring agency rules

Research Ethics and Compliance (RE)

Applies to attendees involved or interested in issues such as:

• Human research
• Animal research
• Peer review
• Mentor/trainee responsibility and development
• Publications
• Collaborative research ethics
• Scientific misconduct
• Standards for the responsible conduct of research
• Research ethics education programs, curricula, requirements, and approaches

Management and Operations (MO)

• Delivery of operational services and research and financial compliance programs
• Facilities management
• Research infrastructure such as capital programs and building and managing of science and technology parks
• Human resources and international personnel management
• Supporting collaborations with international organizations

Educational Formats

Workshop: 3 ½ or 7 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 and learn new skills or develop new strategies. Workshops may include more hands-on exercises, discussion groups, and other in-depth experiences. Workshops are offered on Saturday or Sunday before the conference only. 

Round Table: Informal 30-minute discussion on different topics. The Round Tables are meant to strike up a conversation with other attendees and exchange relevant information. It offers the perfect opportunity to attendees to build their network.

Learning Café: An informal gathering of attendees, led by an expert or mentor, to discuss pre-identified topics during a break or after a lunch meeting. The “Learning Café” opportunities allow for small groups to interact and “continue the conversation” on many topics already covered in the traditional sessions or workshops. The Learning Café sessions are meant to encourage networking and connecting with peers for future interactions after the conference ends.

Concurrent Session

Presentation: 75-minute sessions designed in a traditional format, aimed at a specific focus in which the audience listens to what the presenter has to say, even though the presenter should encourage audience participation and entertain questions. 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.

Discussion: 75-minutes structured discussions on a key learning topic or challenge. Presenters facilitate and engage attendees in a structured exploratory discussion, encouraging participation from participants.

Panel: 75-minute sessions that discuss a topic with a selected group of panel members (typically no more than 3-4) with contrasting or complementary points of view. The panel is actively moderated by a chair, with time reserved for audience participation, questions, and comments.

Case Study: 75-minute, focused sessions that highlight organizational stories of success, lessons learned, failed initiatives, and best practices. Presenters will share their stories and engage participants in focused dialogues about the implications of these examples for other organizations. These are all up-to-date, honest, under-the-hood explorations of learning innovation and implementation from real experiences.

Step-by-Step/”How To”: Pragmatic, 75-minute sessions that provide practical advice and suggested action steps to successfully implement and/or utilize strategies, approaches to and technologies for learning or implementing new policies, regulations, or requirements.

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