Notes from the Program Committee

What's New for AM50?

This year's committee has worked very hard to bring you a meeting that is well balanced in topics and levels of expertise. We tried to ensure that, whatever your interests, there are sessions of interest to you throughout the meeting. We have asked the members of the Program Committee to tell you what they see as the highlights of the meeting. Read the "Notes from the Committee" below to get their insights on the tracks they worked so hard to put together for you.

Science Sessions

In keeping with the AM50 theme, "Celebrating the Science, Supporting the Scientist", we have an exciting line up of science sessions. Starting off Monday morning, our keynote address will be given by Steve Squyres, the lead scientist for the Mission to Mars. Throughout the rest of the program participants will be able to listen to the latest research endeavors in the areas of Child Health, Global Warming, Nanotechnology and K-12 Science Education. Join these top researchers in the country and see why we do what we do! Listen as they tell us what they think is in store for us tomorrow!

Case Studies

Want to get into an engaging topical conversation with other research administrators? This year, case studies will be a choice for our participants. Written by and lead by research administrators around the country, these round table discussions promise to be lively and thought provoking. Want to submit a case study? Want to submit a topical area? Contact Denise, Tim or Ann with your ideas.

Best of the Regions

This year we are pleased to offer the "Best of the Regions" series. These concurrent sessions will be offered on Wednesday morning and were chosen by the regional leadership based on the evaluations from your own Spring Meetings. The membership has spoken "“ and they decided these were worth encore performances!

Policy Development, Training and Assessment

We all have the goal of reducing administrivia for our investigators wherever possible to allow them to concentrate on their research, while maintaining a culture of compliance. New this year are sessions on writing, implementing and revising effective policies; developing strategies and tools to effectively communicate compliance requirements and responsibilities to faculty; and developing effective training and education modules or entire certificate programs for faculty and administrators. Following will be sessions on best practices for assessing the success of your training programs and suggestions to help your institution define a succession path to the future of your organization. These offerings are designed for management and senior administrators responsible for developing a culture of compliance at your institution through effective communication and training programs.

Communication

Research Administration can be a blessing and a curse. Dealing with brilliant faculty and researchers can be rewarding and exciting while at the same time being overwhelming and discouraging. Constant deadlines, increasing compliance requirements and the precarious situation of being a fiduciary protecting agency funds as well as your institutional funds can be daunting. How do we deal with these pressures while honestly encouraging our staff to make research administration a career? An entire set of discussion groups to help managers and staff meet these challenges head on awaits you at AM50. Discussion topics include: time management and stress reduction techniques; tools and tips to improve your public speaking skills; resolve office conflicts; improve customer service; develop effective training skills; deal with difficult people; and how to use your introverted-ness to your advantage. We also have a session targeted specifically at veteran administrators who are contemplating a new challenge, be it consulting, retiring or, hey, reigning supreme! These sessions may not have all the answers, but they certainly have identified most of the questions.

Tools and Tips "“ Don't Reinvent What You Can Borrow From a Colleague

We have all gone to great conferences with excellent presenters and been energized to go back to our institution and implement what we have just learned. Some of us even have the business card of one or two presenters that agreed to send us a tool (checklist or template) they use at their institution. A few of us even remember to email that person and ask for that checklist or template. Unfortunately, within 15 minutes of getting back to work we are inundated with emails and voicemails burying what we learned or wanted to bring back to our institution under our never ending workload.

The 50th Annual Meeting has twenty-one, yes twenty-one "Tools" discussion groups in which the Leader will bring a "Tool" they used to improve training, review of transactions or a checklist to follow. Don't reinvent what you can borrow from a colleague!

Denise Clark, Ann Holmes and Tim Reuter

Notes from the Committee

Workshop 2008

A spider web. That's the best description of this year's workshop offerings! Linked to each other and to the offerings in the main program, attendees at the 50Th Annual Meeting have a plethora of choices for how to get the most from this year's meeting. If desired, an attendee can craft her own personal suite of logically progressive course offerings to be immersed in an area of critical importance (e.g., contracting, subawards, intellectual property, etc.) from the time she sets foot in a Sunday morning workshop through one of the linked afternoon workshops and on throughout the concurrent and discussion sessions in the Annual Meeting itself. Or, a participant might choose to devote his Sunday or Thursday workshop time to delve into one or more specialty topics that have always intrigued them (how do you run an effective research service center program? Handle international agreements safely? Or take the rare opportunity to go to NIH or learn all about NSF? ) thus freeing up the rest of their meeting program to either follow one of the series of sessions on a given topic, take a full track of sessions appropriate to their experience level, or spread their time across multiple areas of keen interest.

Not a beginner? This year, more than half of the workshops are for intermediate or advanced level research administrators "“ come join us"“ whether you are a new research administrator, new to a topic, or ready to tackle those pesky nuances and the biggest challenges!

Not sure which workshop to attend? Or if you are ready for that level or whether your skills are already beyond what is going to be taught? This year, personal guidance from the Workshop Co-Coordinators is available! (jtincher@med.miami.edu, pwebb@umn.edu) Let us help you find the perfect workshop!

Jill Tincher and Pamela Webb

"Just the Facts"Newcomers Track

The NCURA 50th Annual Meeting Program Committee is excited about bringing this new track offering to this year's conference. The targeted audience is individuals with less than one year experience in research administration. It's also an opportunity for seasoned research administrators to get an overview of a new topical area of interest to them. Track offerings will provide an introductory overview of topical issues such as Acronyms, OMB A-21- Allowability Criteria and Section J; Building a Budget; OMB Circular A-110; Effort Reporting, Cost Sharing, Cost Transfers; Financial Reporting; F&A and F.6.b; What is Research Administration and How do we provide service to our PIs; eRA; and Non-Financial Compliance Issues. The concept of the track is that each session will naturally flow into the next, offering a comprehensive overview of the primary topical areas as well as the range of resources available through NCURA.

In addition, there will also be targeted activities for newcomers during the meeting, such as optional breakfast and lunch discussion tables. With these opportunities to interact and network with newcomers, we hope individuals will leave the meeting enthusiastic about the field of research administration and empowered with a wealth of resources to take back to their home institutions.

We look forward to meeting many of you at the 50th Annual Meeting.

Toni Lawson and Danielle Woodman

Beginner Track

Have you been in research administration for a year or two but still find yourself a bit overwhelmed by the volume of laws, rules, regulations, policies, procedures, guidance, best practices (yes, even the list of categories of information is too much information), etc.? You have "allowable, allocable, reasonable and consistent" memorized and you're ready to take on more specific, complex topics? The Beginner Track has been developed just for you. We've put together a line-up of sessions that are a step or two beyond basics and are led by the experts.

Like the Newcomer Track, this track for Beginners covers a broad range of Research Administration topics but in it we will explore some more complex topics and will drill a little deeper into the more basic areas. If the Beginner Track sounds right for you, come join us for great presenters, interesting topics, practical advice and a little help along your way to becoming America's Next Top Research Administrator (as soon our reality show idea gets picked up by a network "“ Maybe NCURA TV?).

Cindy Hope and Brian Squilla

Information Technology Discussion Groups

Information technology (IT) can be something of an enigma. It seems to permeate many elements of our day-to-day business yet aspects of technology and implementation can be difficult to understand. Like the Mona Lisa's smile, the radiance of IT is ubiquitous but a challenge on many fronts.

In recognition of this schizophrenic nature, this year's annual meeting presents IT discussion groups that separately address these two dimensions.

Five discussion groups will focus on how IT interfaces with specific aspects of research administration; some decades ago Bob Killoren and John Rodman (I think) coined the term electronic research administration (eRA). The session titles for the gems all begin with the phrase "eRA is embedded in." The discussion group leaders have all successfully managed projects or worked at the interface between IT and very specific opportunities. These discussions should help the participants see where eRA might be leveraged at their home institutions. Our topics are business continuity, training, strategic decision making, office management, and compliance operations.

Four discussion groups will focus on foundational technologies or the nuts-and-bolts of implementation. These discussion leaders are not theoreticians; they have implemented systems and will be sharing the lessons they have learned in the "school of hard knocks." The engaged participant may avoid a quagmire or two as he or she embarks on implementations at the home institution. Our technology session topics are an overview of relevant technologies, deployment of a new system (a "best of" from the Region V annual meeting), identity and access management, and Grants.gov system-to-system implementation.

These sessions are sure to provide what your inner geek is craving. You know you deserve it.

Ken Forstmeier

eRA and AM50

It's been my pleasure to serve on this year's program committee with such talented volunteers. With almost 25 years of continuous NCURA membership, my NCURA friends and colleagues sometimes affectionately refer to me as the father of ERA (please, I'm not the grandfather of ERA, yet!) Gone are the days where we talked about EDI. They've been replaced by Grants.gov, data streams, schemas and XML files. Gone, too, are the dedicated ERA conference sponsored by NCURA in the early days during the initial explosion of the Internet. I'm often asked why. The answer is simple. ERA is now embedded in almost every facet of research administration. But rest assured. This year's program is full of opportunities to engage the technical professional. For beginners, "Just the Facts: eRA" will provide a brief history and a quick look into the future. Intermediate users will appreciate sessions like "Grants Management Systems - Managing the Audit Process". Can the system you techies are developing stand up to a system audit? And even techies with 25 years of ERA behind them like me will appreciate some of this year's advanced offering with sessions like "Grant Payment and Financial Reporting Standardization Initiatives". Are you ready to transmit all that financial data to the feds? Or, "How to Capture Data and what to 'do' with it" is targeted at senior audiences that will certainly need technical professionals to assist in the translation. And of course, the federal updates will provide last minute details on the web services being offered by NIH, NSF's new electronic initiatives, the changes coming with Grants.gov, new data streams and form sets, and new federal regulations, such as FFATA, that will have impact on our internal systems and data collection capabilities. This year's program is the best ever and technical professional at all levels will appreciate how ERA has been woven into the entire fabric of the program.

Stephen Dowdy

PUI Sessions

The NCURA Annual Meeting always has something for everyone and the 50th is designed to exceed everyone's expectations. Research Administrators from Predominantly Undergraduate Institutions and Emerging Research Institutions will notice some changes in the structure in this year's program. Concurrent sessions are targeted toward the experience level of research administrators in an effort to encourage professional growth and development. So while you will find a few concurrent sessions targeted specifically at PUIs, the organization of the concurrent sessions by experience level will provide for greater cross-fertilization of ideas among institutions.

You will also find that the 50th Annual Meeting offers an exceptionally strong set of discussion groups focused on the challenges faced by research administrators at non-research intensive institutions. Highlights include resources for the one-person office and effort reporting at PUIs, along with useful tools for providing faculty incentives and tips for professional development. Our hope is that the design of this year's program will meet the critical needs of research administrators at all levels of experience from all types of institutions. We look forward to your participation as we share challenges, ideas, and innovations among all of our PUI colleagues.

Jerry Pogatshnik

Advanced Tracks

Even for experienced research administrator, the scope and complexity of the issues faced can seem daunting. The Advanced Tracks provide an opportunity to explore in greater depth a broad array of these issues. Sessions will cover topics ranging from proposal development for hospitals and academic medical centers, conflict of interest and human subjects, and medical-related billing issues to disputes resolution, comparative cost principles, and dealing with non-standard award terms and conditions. Other sessions will consider issues and challenges from a variety of perspectives including those of faculty, university legal counsel, departmental vs. central administrators, predominantly undergraduate institutions, and cancer research centers. Still others will look at issues that arise with various kinds of partners, including industry, non-profit research sponsors, foreign collaborators, and the VA.

Participants will learn about the policies and practices followed by their peers when faced with these challenges. While obviously no one size fits all, sampling those sessions of particular interest to you will enhance your knowledge and understanding and ability to deal with these issues. There is something for everyone in these tracks!

Robert Hardy

Federal

The Federal grant enterprise is big and varied. Unique drivers shape each agency's direction, while at the same time, government-wide initiatives encourage greater streamlining and more common business approaches. Each session focuses on specific agencies or on a topic with government-wide implications.

Agencies will share important policy, administrative, program, and electronic research administration updates. You will learn about ongoing government-wide initiatives to increase streamlining through implementation of government-wide policies and through shared technology investments. You will also hear about new legislative requirements under the Transparency Act for subaward reporting. The sessions in the Federal Track give you a chance to hear directly from Federal agencies on the key topics and initiatives that are impacting them and, therefore, may impact you.

Mary Santonastasso and Karen Tiplady

Financial Overview: Advanced Topics

If you've got a fervent financial bone anywhere in your body, you are going to really appreciate the Financial Advanced Track for this 50th anniversary program! The topics are not new: effort reporting; cost sharing; cost transfers; service centers; preparing for a federal audit; and subrecipient monitoring have been hot topics for years and will be for years to come. However, the specific issues and audit findings keep changing and new problems are surfacing as some audit settlements reach into the millions of dollars. No institution wants to be on the front page of their local newspaper.

These sessions are structured to address advanced issues and discuss processes and policies implemented by experienced administrators. Follow-on discussion groups will allow attendees to ask specific questions and engage in discussions in smaller group settings. Since the follow-on discussion groups are also well attended, two follow-on discussion groups will be provided on the topics of effort reporting, cost sharing, cost transfers and service centers. The mix in length of sessions will ensure you are kept interested and listening to our panelists as they share their depth of experience and wit.

Maggie Griscavage and Marianne Woods

Hot Topics in Research Administration

Is it possible that there are currently more than 10-15 "hot topics" in research administration? I think many who have seen both the complexity and compliance focus of the research environment increase over the last ten years would struggle to limit their list to just 10-15 "hot topics". Depending on your areas of responsibility (pre-award, post-award, clinical trials, protocol management, etc.) and your institution, your "hot topics" lists may look very different. Can this year's Program Committee develop a Program that is capable of addressing all of these "hot topics"? Yes we can! And we did. Whether you lean left or right, this year's Program has sessions that address all of the topics on your "hot topics" list, including sessions that cover the following:

Other support
Billing for clinical trials
Administrative and clerical salaries
Material Transfer Agreements
Audit preparation

Monitoring of subrecipients
Conflict of interest
Cost transfers
Academic Health Centers and effort reporting
International contracting
Non Disclosure Agreements

There are several workshops on "hot topics" including workshops on subrecipient monitoring, training grants, intellectual property, clinical trials, export controls, effort reporting, and conflict of interest. In addition to these great workshops, there are numerous discussion groups and concurrent sessions on "hot topics" including sessions on clinical trials, export controls, effort reporting, human and animal subjects, subcontracts, cost sharing, cost transfers, conflict of interest, etc.

J Taylor

This Program's for You

It's a great honor to be part of the program committee for NCURA's 50th Annual Meeting. All annual meetings are special but AM 50 will be an extraordinary event in every aspect. The meeting chair, Denise Clark, and her exceptional co-chairs Tim Reuter and Ann Holmes, have created a unique vision for the meeting and have encouraged the program committee to be as creative as possible. Attendees at all levels of experience will find a wide array of sessions to choose from"”this is truly a meeting with something for everyone.

The program is designed with "you" in mind, whether you are at a large research institution or a PUI or whether you work in a central office, a department, or a research center. I'm especially excited about a new discussion group we are introducing this year that will be aimed at the College-level administrator. This session will explore who we are and what do we do and will discuss the unique challenges that College-level administrators are confronted with each day. I think this discussion group typifies the spirit of AM 50"”our commitment to reach out to all our members and our willingness to try something new. The members of the Program Committee are excited about the meeting and we hope you are too!

Pat Fitzgerald

Senior Level Sessions

The Senior Section is designed for the experienced research administrator. This section examines cutting edge issues in research administration with experienced senior level administrators leading the sessions. International contracting and subcontracting delves into the particulars of terms and conditions and includes a thorough examination of concerns that arise when collaborating internationally; Establishing an export control training program looks at best practices in educating the academic community; Master agreements takes a practical look as to when and why MA's are needed; Industrial contracting discusses university and industry relationships and how to foster research collaborations between the two groups; Troublesome clauses looks at what we do when the negotiations are complete and we don't have the ideal clauses; Conflict of interest and start up companies examines equity positions and our roles in STTRs and SBIRs, and; Congressional overview and update discusses the current federal research trends and what's happening in Washington.

A thought provoking program designed for experienced research administrators.

Marianne Woods and Maggie Griscavage

Senior Open Forum Track

Open Forums have always been well received at NCURA meetings. This year we have made the forums a full track offering all, but particularly the more seasoned research administrator, the opportunity to discuss the issues of the day with their colleagues. The senior research administrator can look forward to learning more about emerging and current policy issues and how others are coping.

The senior open forums cover a broad range of topics: financial compliance; animal welfare and human subjects; responsible conduct of research; export controls and embargs; safety, security, and science, emerging research institutions; organizational conflicts of interest; and institutional conflicts of interest. A hot topics forum has also been scheduled.

So, if you are a seasoned research administrator and know all the basics and beyond, then this track is for you. Sharing has always been an integral part of NCURA meetings"”this track will bring you sharing on steroids!

Jane Youngers

As you can see the program is ready and so are we! So take time now to complete the registration and make your hotel reservations. We are so excited about this year's celebration and look forward to seeing all of you in Washington!