Blogs

Let’s Talk About Change… We did at VA SIG

By SRAI News posted 2 days ago
Community & Member Engagement Let’s Talk About Change… We did at VA SIG Spotlight Story Special Interest Group (SIG) meetings can act as a low-stakes environment for Research Administrators to gather amongst peers to network, learn, and share ideas. At our last VA SIG meeting, we talked about the changes taking place in the profession, and the increasing resilience and adaption needed to persevere in support of the national research enterprise. The second annual SRAI Virginia Special Interest Group (VA SIG) meeting took place on Friday, July 18, 2025, at the beautiful campus of the University of Richmond, in Richmond, Virginia. ...

AI Applications in Research Administration Operations

By SRAI News posted 2 days ago
Operations & Workflow Management AI Applications in Research Administration Operations Free open AI tools could be used with non-confidential information to strengthen communications and other plans, create onboarding and training resources, and complete custom workflow tasks. Research administrators (RAs) face pressure to increase efficiencies to help address federal funding and compliance changes, broader issues facing higher education, and shrinking resources. The authors explore applying free open AI solutions to some common operations tasks. RAs could use free tools with care not to breach confidentiality (Schultz, 2025b). ...

Unlocking Hidden Value: Why Research Administration and Compliance Professionals Should Consider the PMP

By SRAI News posted 2 days ago
Career Growth & Leadership Unlocking Hidden Value: Why Research Administration and Compliance Professionals Should Consider the PMP Mila Babaev, CIP, reveals how everyday tasks in research administration and compliance are really project management in action and why pursuing the PMP® credential is worthwhile. Discover why it's worth the investment. If you work in research administration or compliance, chances are you have managed more projects than you realize. Whether you have led an audit process, updated SOP’s, coordinated grant or contract workflows, overseen quality assurance activities or organized educational outreach for researchers, ...

Choosing the Right Channel: Usage Guidelines for Communication Platforms in Research Offices

By SRAI News posted 2 days ago
Operations & Workflow Management Choosing the Right Channel: Usage Guidelines for Communication Platforms in Research Offices As Research Administrators, we may communicate across multiple platforms and in a myriad of ways. How do we know where, when, and how to communicate with whom? And how do these diverse platforms impact the overall clarity and effectiveness of our messages? The world we live in today is inundated with numerous communication platforms and methods. Prior to 2010, most professional communication occurred sluggishly via phone, email, and later, text. When the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly moved corporate offices into ...

NIH_narrative_draft3_penultimate_updated_finalfinal: The Importance of File Naming Conventions

By SRAI News posted 2 days ago
Grant Development & Strategy NIH_narrative_draft3_penultimate_updated_finalfinal: The Importance of File Naming Conventions Who has gone back to files for an earlier submission and had to sort through dozens of documents with wild names to find the final version that was submitted? You found what you needed, so does it matter? According to the Pareto Principle, yes, it does matter. Show of hands! Who has gone back to files for an earlier submission and had to sort through dozens of documents with wild names to find the final version that was submitted? After all, two days before the submission deadline for that big NIH grant, revisions ...

Choosing How to Travel

By SRAI News posted 2 days ago
Grant Management & Financial Oversight Choosing How to Travel Read Part One: Travel Trouble: Why “Just Charge It to the Grant” Isn’t Always Safe You’ve been approved to travel—now comes the fun part: figuring out how to get there. Transportation costs are among the most scrutinized parts of sponsored travel, so let’s unpack planes, trains, and automobiles before your grant takes an unexpected detour. Federal regulations don’t dictate how you should travel, but your institution probably does. Rather than using a strict “drive vs. fly by X miles” rule, my institution applies a cost-comparison approach, which allows flexibility ...

Catalyst Quarterly: January 2026

By SRAI News posted 01-21-2026
View the Full Issue (PDF)* Volume 01, Issue 03: January 2026 Editor's Note Dear Readers, As we start a new year, I would like to express my gratitude to all the authors, readers and feature editors who help make the Catalyst a success. I wish everyone a year filled with collaboration, dedication, and shared achievements. In this third (ever!) issue of the Catalyst Quarterly, we look back on the lessons learned and experiences had during the 2025 SRAI Annual Meeting, which took place last October in San Antonio, Texas, drawing over 1000 attendees from all over the world. These specially curated pieces range from detailed session breakdowns ...

Volume LVI, Number 2 - From the Editor's Desk

By SRAI JRA posted 12-17-2025
SRAI Journal of Research Administration Volume LVI, Number 2 From the Editor's Desk Author Jennifer E. Taylor, Ph.D., M.B.A. Rush Medical Center and University The Journal of Research Administration (JRA) is the premier scholarly publication in research administration and management. We publish timely, essential work that enhances the knowledge base for research administration and supports research administrators worldwide, making JRA a crucial resource for career development as well as to grow the overall knowledge base for the field. Our contributors share best practices and innovative strategies to help research administrators worldwide ...

The Needs And Challenges of the Research Administrator Workforce

By SRAI JRA posted 12-15-2025
Volume LVI, Number 2 The Needs And Challenges of the Research Administrator Workforce Jennifer E. Woodward, PhD University of Pittsburgh Evan Roberts Society of Research Administrators International Abstract Research administrators are integral to the research enterprise, yet the profession remains hindered by the absence of standardized job titles, responsibilities, and compensation frameworks. These inconsistencies drive turnover, restrict career progression, and weaken institutional efficiency. The findings and recommendations from a three-phase National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded GRANTED conference are presented in this study. ...

Ghostwriting Grants: Uncovering the Experiences of Professional Research Staff in Grant Capture

By SRAI JRA posted 12-13-2025
Volume LVI, Number 2 Ghostwriting Grants: Uncovering the Experiences of Professional Research Staff in Grant Capture Jacqueline M. I. Torti Centre for Education Research and Innovation, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada Kevin Oswald Centre for Education Research and Innovation, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada Farah Friesen Centre for Advancing Collaborative Healthcare & Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Mariam Hayward Western Research, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada Lorelei Lingard Centre ...

The 2025 Research Admin Superlatives: A Lighthearted Look Back at the Year

By SRAI News posted 12-10-2025
Community & Member Engagement The 2025 Research Admin Superlatives: A Lighthearted Look Back at the Year Spotlight Story In the spirit of appreciation — and a little well-deserved humor — we present the 2025 Research Administration Superlatives, honoring the skills, strengths, and superpowers that kept our institutions running, our investigators compliant, and our sanity (mostly) intact. As research administrators, we spend our days navigating regulations, managing deadlines, translating PI urgency into actionable workflows, and occasionally performing miracles disguised as routine tasks. At the end of the year, it’s important ...

From Sand Dunes to Skylines: Building Research Administration in Qatar

By SRAI News posted 12-10-2025
Operations & Workflow Management From Sand Dunes to Skylines: Building Research Administration in Qatar Qatar wowed the world with the 2022 FIFA World Cup — but did you know they also built a research empire in just two decades? It's like going from 'budget cuts' to 'funding surplus' in record time! When most people think of Qatar, they picture desert sand, futuristic skylines, or perhaps football stadiums. Fewer know that beneath the cranes and glass towers, a national research ecosystem has been taking shape at breakneck speed. In less than two decades, research management in Qatar has developed what took many countries generations ...

Grant Anatomy: A Crash Course in Proposal Timelines

By SRAI News posted 12-10-2025
Grant Development & Strategy Grant Anatomy: A Crash Course in Proposal Timelines Do your faculty scramble to meet a grant deadline like Meredith Grey? Kimberly Pratt and James Taylor share how proposal timelines can transform chaos into clarity. Learn practical strategies to streamline submissions, avoid last-minute drama, and support your research team without the tears. We — Kimberly and James — first met through SRAI’s Odyssey mentoring program, and we quickly found out we’re both fans of Grey’s Anatomy. That shared interest helped build a connection, making our mentoring relationship feel more like a partnership. And while the ...

It’s a Wonderful Life, Research Administrators Edition

By SRAI News posted 12-10-2025
Community & Member Engagement It’s a Wonderful Life, Research Administrators Edition What would the world look like without research and research administrators? Publicly funded, university-based research has long been a hallmark of the U.S. research enterprise — fueling discovery, innovation, economic growth and national security. Let's not take it for granted. Happy Holidays and Merry New Year! It’s the season to talk about snow, opening presents, holiday closures and winter breaks, or watching classic movies on endless repeats. But with the struggles that universities, researchers, and research administrators are currently ...

Travel Trouble: Why “Just Charge It to the Grant” Isn’t Always Safe

By SRAI News posted 12-10-2025
Grant Management & Financial Oversight Travel Trouble: Why “Just Charge It to the Grant” Isn’t Always Safe Travel is one of the most common — and most confusing — categories of sponsored project expenses. Between federal regulations, sponsor-specific guidance, and institutional travel policies, it’s no wonder research administrators, PIs, and even central office staff often feel like they need a boarding pass just to navigate what’s allowable. You’ve found the conference of a lifetime—super exciting! It checks all the boxes of topics you’re interested in; you have funds available on your grant, and it’s being held in a warm, beachy ...

Thirteen Years of Purpose: Insights from a Journey in Research Administration

By SRAI News posted 12-10-2025
Career Growth & Leadership Research Administration: Building on Your Skill Set After 13 years in research administration, I'm stepping into a new chapter. This article shares five key lessons that shaped my career (from setting boundaries to embracing growth) and offers encouragement to those exploring this rewarding, mission-driven field. Discover what makes research administration both impactful and personally fulfilling. After a deeply fulfilling career in research administration, I will be transitioning at the end of this year to pursue personal interests and new adventures. Over the past 13 years, I’ve had the privilege of working ...

AI and the Trump Administration

By SRAI News posted 12-10-2025
Federal Pulse AI and the Trump Administration Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming a central pillar of U.S. federal research strategy and that shift is reshaping what scientific discovery looks like, how agencies fund work, and how institutions need to position themselves and navigate policies and regulations relating to AI. The Trump Administration is making AI competitiveness a top national priority while AI is also a focus of state policymaking , which has the potential to create a tricky regulatory and compliance environment for research organizations to navigate. Overview of Trump Administration AI Priorities Right out ...

Improving Post-Award Grant Management Efficiency through Process Mapping and Activity-Based Costing

By SRAI JRA posted 12-10-2025
Volume LVI, Number 2 Improving Post-Award Grant Management Efficiency through Process Mapping and Activity-Based Costing Ninette Kotzee Research Grants Manager, Department of Research and Innovation, University of Pretoria Prof Elda du Toit Department of Financial Management, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, University of Pretoria Abstract This case study details how the University of Pretoria’s Grant Management Unit improved post-award grant management efficiency and compliance. Using process mapping and Activity-Based Costing, the Unit identified and addressed inefficiencies, high compliance costs, and process bottlenecks. ...

What are the Crucial Factors Explaining Job Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction in RMAs? Statistical Analysis Based on the Japanese Survey

By SRAI JRA posted 12-05-2025
Volume LVI, Number 2 What are the Crucial Factors Explaining Job Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction in RMAs? Statistical Analysis Based on the Japanese Survey Shin Ito, Ph.D., MBA Institute for Future Initiatives, The University of Tokyo, Japan Hiroaki Hanaoka, M.A. Co-Creation Affairs Division, Department of Co-Creation Promotion, The University of Osaka, Japan Norihiro Hirata, Ph.D. Research Administration Center, Innovative Research and Liaison Organization, Shinshu University, Japan Makiko Takahashi, Ph.D. Graduate School of Innovation Management, Kanazawa Institute of Technology, Japan Abstract Research managers and administrators ...

Reflections on AI Implementation in Research Administration: Emergent Approaches and Recommendations for Strategic and Sustainable Impact

By SRAI JRA posted 11-25-2025
Volume LVI, Number 2 Reflections on AI Implementation in Research Administration: Emergent Approaches and Recommendations for Strategic and Sustainable Impact Amber Hedquist Arizona State University Max Castillon Arizona State University Megan Cooper Arizona State University Valerie Keim Arizona State University Tasha Mohseni Arizona State University Kimberly Purcell Arizona State University Abstract This reflective inquiry reports on the experiences of a working group at Arizona State University (ASU) that, over the course of four months, built, integrated, and iterated artificial intelligence (AI) solutions into their ...