OATdb Archive

2012 - 2013

Research Administration

Goal
Improve Principal Investigator Reporting Capabilities
As research expands at SHSU, ORA must continue to improve the tools available to principal investigators allowing them to manage their grants effectively. 

Objective
Provide Principal Investigators With Tools For Grant Management
While the Controller's Office develops the university dashboard, ORA will develop methods to customize that dashboard to grant management.  ORA will also look to develop automated reports that can be sent to principal investigators on a regular basis improving their grant management.

KPI
Additional Report Features
ORA will successfully develop an automated feature for emailing periodic reports to principal investigators during the 2012-2013 cycle.


Result
Significant Progress
ORA was able to complete the new reports for principle investigators during the fiscal year. However, these have not been automated to investigators at this time. There was a significant amount of work needed before these could be automated. This should be completed in the next fiscal year. 

Action
Work Continues
ORA was able to create a new PI report for research grants. However, we are still working on a dashboard for assisting with managing awards. This will be the focus for report development for the new year.

Goal
Review And Improve Existing Grant Training Programs For Principal Investigators
Federal grants are increasingly being awarded with more complicated regulations for management that ORA needs to help convey to investigators.


Objective
Increase Training Opportunities For Principal Investigators
The increasing regulations make it more pertinent for ORA to increase regular training opportunities to help principal investigators with understanding potential regulatory pitfalls.

KPI
New And Improved Training Programs
ORA will first review all existing training programs to make sure they are necessary for principal investigators. After that review, ORA will assess the added regulations and requirements on grants to create new additional training programs to help investigators remain compliant with their grant terms.


Result
Continue On
During the current fiscal year, ORA setup new training in talent management for handling time and effort certification. This new training system will continue for new areas of concern during the next fiscaly year.

KPI
PI Training Tracking
ORA will start tracking the training opportunities offered to principal investigators along with which investigators take the training offered. 

Result
Complete
Talent Management allows ORA to track who has taken each training for documentation purposes. This will allow the office to ensure each faculty or staff has received the necessary training for each grant.

Action
Increased Improvements
During the next fiscal year, ORA will need to expand the training options and develop means to ensure all faculty and staff take the necessary training programs.


Update to previous cycle's plan for continuous improvement

ORA continues to improve in our ability to handle audits, but over the 2012-13 year, ORA made significant strides in training and procedures development that will signficantly reduce SHSU facing an audit with major findings.


Plan for continuous improvement During the 2012-13 year, ORA was able to start providing training through SHSU's talent management system that will allow tracking who has completed training programs on how to handle grants and contracts.  The offerings need to be increased and we need to develop a required periodic training policy for PIs.  Each training takes significant time to develop when staff have to do it in addition to regular duties.  This will make this an ongoing process into the 2013-14 year.  Additionally, we need to complete a dashboard to help faculty with the admdinistration of their awards.  This was not completed due to the many needs of the university for reporting.  Reporting time should improve as we move into the next year since Financial Services hired someone to help assist in this area.