2019 Western/Southern Section Meeting

This workshop examines key issues related to budget development, review and monitoring, and explores the research administrator's role in service to the sponsor, institution and investigator. Special attention will be paid to assessing project costs, including personnel, consultants, equipment, supplies, travel, subcontracts, total direct cost, income, F&A, MTDC vs. salary and wage base, and cost sharing.  In addition, sponsor guidelines, institutional policies and the financial precepts of 2 CFR 200 will be covered. "Why do we have to do this?' and "Where are the guidelines that say that?" are key questions that will be answered throughout the workshop.  

Content Level: Basic

Learning objectives:

1. Identify the core cost related compliance expectations associated with federal funding.
2. Support proposal and award management activities consistent with federal regulations.

Prerequisites:None

Speaker(s):

Kris Rhodes, MS, Managing Director, ATM Grants | About the Money

This workshop, intended for individuals with fewer than three years' experience, is designed to give newcomers to research administration a big picture of the profession. Topics covered will include finding funding opportunities; orienting new faculty to the research environment; pre- and post-award administration; proposal development, submission, review and 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 activities for sponsored research activity.
2. Understand the components of and prepare a proposal and manage the post-award process.

Prerequisites:None

Speaker(s):

Jennie Amison, Director, Sponsored Research Development, San Diego State University Research Foundation; Kimberly Page, Manager, Pre-Award Services, Boise State University; Janet Stoeckert, Director, Research Administration, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California

The "theory of everything" (TOE) is a hypothetical theory studied in physics; its intent is to fully explain and link together all known physical phenomena. The Introduction to Research Law workshop is similar to TOE in that it attempts to explain and link together all known issues of research administration. Legal issues arise throughout research, starting with intellectual property issues, continuing through contract and grant matters and living on in post research licensing, "derivative works disputes" and post-clinical trial liability questions. This workshop is for new research administrators who need a "boot camp" approach to recognizing the legal issues that they will face daily.

Content level: Basic

Learning objectives:

1. Identify the parties and players involved in common research activities and indicate their legal rights and responsibilities.
2. Identify common issues that arise requiring the application of legal processes and procedures to research activities.

Prerequisites:None

Speaker(s):

J. Michael Slocum, President, Slocum & Brodie

This is a required workshop for the new certificate in Research Development, intended for individuals with three years or fewer in research administration or for more experienced research administrators transitioning to roles in research development. Research development provides strategic, proactive, catalytic and capacity-building activities that serve the research enterprise at large by supporting individual investigators, teams of researchers, and central research administration in attracting extramural research funding. Research development also fosters relationships and develops and implements strategies that increase institutional competitiveness and innovation.

To give a big and broad picture of research development, topics will include the role of the research development professional, how research development complements and differs from research administration, developing individual and institutional grant capacity, understanding and applying institutional strategies to enhance the overall research portfolio, orienting investigators to the research environment and research development, an overview of proposal components and the agency review process and providing leadership and support for large-scale, collaborative proposals.

Content level:Basic

Learning objectives:

1. Identify the emerging role of research development and research development professionals in building institutional and individual capacity and growing the research portfolio.
2. Apply these strategies in the participant's home institution to increase grant capacity and proposal success.

Prerequisites:None

Speaker(s):

Marjorie Piechowski, PhD, Emerita Director, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Successful contract negotiating is not just knowing how to recognize problematic clauses and provide alternate language but understanding and explaining the nuances in different language to multiple stakeholders: sponsors, senior administration and principal investigators.   It is imperative to recognize that contracts are not just a list of stand-alone clauses but how those clauses collectively create the entirety of the contractual relationship. The art of negotiation goes way beyond arguing for “your language” which without communication can often be viewed as simply arguing about changing “happy” to “glad”.  Research administration negotiators are often the go-between among the sponsor, legal counsel, senior management and the principal investigator.  

This workshop will focus on the negotiation phase and incorporate experiential learning where participants will learn how to enlist successful negotiation tactics.  The presenters will collaborate with participants to discuss tips related to communicating with multiple constituencies, reasons for alternative contract language and going beyond what is not-acceptable, resulting in a fully executed agreement. 

Content level:Intermediate

Learning objectives:

1. Explain exceptions to contractual language to multiple constituencies including sponsors.
2. Incorporate best practices for contract negotiation.

Prerequisites:Yes. This session is best suited for those with some contract review experience.

Speaker(s):

Susan Sedwick, PhD, CRA, CSM, Senior Consulting Specialist, Attain, LLC; Sandra Nordahl, Director, SR Contracting and Compliance and Facility Security Officer San Diego State University Research Foundation; Mindy Solivan Assistant Director, Office of Research University of Central Florida

Development of a comprehensive strategic plan. Participants will acquire the knowledge and skills to effectively develop a strategic plan for their organization. 

Content level: Basic

Learning objectives:

1. Identify and discuss the distinct components of a strategic plan.
2. Formulate a strategic plan.

Prerequisites:None

Speaker(s):

Janet Villarmia, MBA, ML, Executive Director, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center