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The Life Cycle of the Award is an online, self-paced certificate program that provides an overview of the research administration profession—from proposal development through closeout.
Featuring 40+ hours of education across nine milestones, learners can follow the program from beginning to end or jump to the sessions most relevant to their role and goals. Knowledge checks follow each session, and successful completion of those knowledge checks is required to earn certificates. Learners can retake knowledge checks as needed as part of the learning experience, and they also receive feedback explaining why selected answers are incorrect, reinforcing understanding as they progress. Participants earn a certificate for each milestone, as well as a final certificate upon completing the full experience. Learners have one year from their first login to complete the program.
Designed for busy days, sessions are broken into short, 10–15-minute segments to fit into full schedules and support steady progress. This structure makes it easier to take a small amount of time each day to move forward—whether between meetings, during a quieter moment, or as part of a planned learning block.
The program also includes two enrichment sessions on Artificial Intelligence and Leadership, along with Wellness Experiences woven throughout to support sustainable learning and growth. Designed for both new and experienced research administrators, the Life Cycle of the Award complements NCURA’s broader learning portfolio—including workshops, conferences, webinars, and tutorials—by offering a flexible, end-to-end learning pathway.
Research administration is learned in layers—through experience on the job, targeted training when a new challenge arises, and dedicated time to step back and connect the dots. The Life Cycle of the Award is designed to complement both day-to-day learning and specific learning experiences by giving participants a structured way to learn, absorb, and apply concepts across the full award life cycle—building confidence and perspective that carries into real work.
This program is designed to grow with our profession. The Life Cycle of the Award will be continually refreshed to reflect evolving guidance, emerging issues, and insights from our learners—because NCURA is committed to investing in a living, evolving learning experience that supports research administrators now and into the future.
The Life Cycle of the Award is designed for professionals across the research administration ecosystem—at all stages of their careers—who want a deeper, more connected understanding of the full award life cycle.
This program is especially well suited for:
New and newer research administrators seeking a strong, structured foundation in the profession
Experienced specialists (pre-award, post-award, compliance, contracts, finance, research development, or central administration) who want to broaden their perspective beyond a single functional area
Professionals transitioning into research administration from related fields
Supervisors and managers supporting onboarding, cross-training, and professional development for their teams
Individuals preparing for expanded responsibilities or leadership roles
Whether you are building core knowledge, filling in gaps, or looking to connect your day-to-day work to the broader research enterprise, the Life Cycle of the Award provides a flexible learning pathway that meets you where you are and grows with you.
Throughout this program, you’ll move through nine core Milestones that follow the full Life Cycle of the Award, from proposal development through closeout. You’ll also have access to two optional Enrichment Sessions and Wellness Experiences throughout.
These include:
The total time commitment for this program is approximately 41 hours. This includes 36 hours across the nine core Milestones and about 5 hours optional Enrichment Sessions. There are Wellness experiences throughout.
Learners have one full year of access to the Life Cycle of the Award, beginning from the date of their first login. This extended access allows participants to move through the program at their own pace, revisit sessions as needed and return to content as they apply what they’re learning in their day-to-day work.
The Life Cycle of the Award is a fully self-paced program. Learners may move through the content in the order that best suits their needs—either following the full award life cycle from beginning to end or jumping to specific milestones and sessions based on their role, experience, or immediate priorities.
No, the Life Cycle of the Award is designed to be a fully self-paced experience, with no required live sessions—allowing you to learn on your schedule, at your own pace.
No. There is no required order to complete the modules. Learners may choose to move through the program from beginning to end for a guided, comprehensive experience, or start with specific milestones or sessions that align with their role, experience, or immediate learning needs.
Designed for busy days, sessions are broken into short, 10–15 minute segments to fit into full schedules and support steady progress. This structure makes it easier to take a small amount of time each day to move forward—whether between meetings, during a quieter moment, or as part of a planned learning block.
Yes. The Life Cycle of the Award is a great fit for individuals who are brand new to research administration. The program is designed to provide a clear, structured overview of the profession and the full award life cycle, helping new learners build a strong foundation and understand how the pieces connect.
There are two ways to register for the Life Cycle of the Award, depending on whether you are enrolling as an individual or as part of an institutional purchase.
Option 1: Individual Registration
You may register directly as an individual learner here:
👉 NCURA Life Cycle of the Award Individual Registration NCURA’s Online Learning Site
Option 2: Group / Institutional Registration
If your organization would like to register multiple learners, the purchaser can register for seats in bulk here:
👉 NCURA Life Cycle of the Award Group Registration with Bulk Discounts
After completing the group purchase, the purchaser will receive registration discount codes to distribute to individual staff members. A sample email will be included in your confirmation to send to your learners on how to register with their discount code.
How Individual Users Register Who Are a Part of a Bulk Package
Each learner will need an account on the NCURA website that has their Organizational Email. If they do not have an NCURA Account they can get one here.
Each learner will then go to NCURA’s Online Learning Site, log in using their NCURA credentials, and register for the Life Cycle using their discount code during the checkout process. The discount codes for bulk purchases are sent to the person who registered for the package.
A learner’s one-year access period begins at their first login to the program.
This group registration option allows institutions to purchase seats in advance, enjoy bulk savings, and use discount codes at any time—making it easy to support onboarding, cross-training, and professional development as needs arise.
No problem! If you’d like to add more seats after your original purchase, simply send an email to lifecycle@ncura.edu with the number of seats you would like to add on, we will add that to your initial registration and you can pay the balance due. You’ll then receive new discount codes for the added seats, which you can distribute to additional learners—then you’re ready to go.
Registration Fees
Individual Registration
Member: $995 for 1 seat (1 year access)
Nonmember: $1,190 for 1 seat (1 year access)
Group / Institutional Registration (Based on the member rate; discounts applied per seat)
10 seats (1 year per learner): 10% discount ($99.50 off per person) — Total: $8,955.00
25 seats (1 year per learner): 20% discount ($199.00 off per person) — Total: $19,900.00
40 seats (1 year per learner): 25% discount ($248.75 off per person) — Total: $29,850.00
50 seats (1 year per learner): 25% discount ($248.75 off per person) — Total: $37,312.50
Why buy in bulk? Group pricing makes it easy for institutions to invest in onboarding and professional development at scale—purchase seats in advance, save with volume discounts, and use discount codes whenever new staff are ready to begin.
Yes. We’re happy to invoice your organization and accept payment by purchase order. Once payment is received (by check or credit card), we will send the purchaser the login details and/or registration discount codes needed to get started.
No. Registrations are not transferable once you have started the course. Access to the Life Cycle of the Award is assigned to the individual learner and may not be transferred to another person once the learner begins the course by accessing a learning segment.
Bulk registration discounts are intended for use within a single institution only and may not be shared or combined across a system, state network, consortium, or any other multi-entity arrangement.
The Life Cycle of the Award is delivered through NCURA’s learning management system (LMS), Elevate. The program includes a combination of video-based content and written materials, designed to support flexible, self-paced learning. Now more accessible and aligned with current ADA and WCAG 2.2 standards
Watching video on demand (VOD) requires a reliable internet connection, a modern device, and an up-to-date browser.
Note: Speed requirements are per device. If multiple users are streaming simultaneously, a higher-speed plan (100–500 Mbps) may be needed.
Yes, the course is mobile-friendly and can be accessed through your mobile device’s web browser. However, the course is optimized for desktop use, so we strongly recommend using a desktop or laptop for the best experience.
If you experience technical issues, we recommend reviewing the following common troubleshooting questions first:
Why is the video quality dropping suddenly? Most platforms use adaptive bitrate (ABR) technology. If network congestion occurs—for example, if another device starts a large download—the video resolution may automatically lower to prevent playback from stopping.
If issues persist, please contact lifecycle@ncura.edu for technical assistance. We will respond within 24- 48 business hours.
You will have one year of access to the Life Cycle of the Award from your first login. While the full program content is accessed online, each session includes a “What I Learned” summary that you can download and save for offline reference, helping you capture key takeaways and apply them in your work.
Yes. The Life Cycle of the Award will be continually updated and refreshed to reflect changes in policies, guidance, and best practices. When updates are made, all registered learners will be notified, so you can stay current as the profession and regulatory landscape evolve.
The program uses a variety of learning formats, including short, focused videos, written content, and practical summaries, designed to support flexible, self-paced learning and accommodate different learning styles.
Yes. Knowledge checks follow each session to help reinforce key concepts and support learning. Successful completion of these knowledge checks is required to earn milestone and program certificates, and feedback is provided to explain incorrect responses.
Yes. Learners may retake knowledge checks as needed as part of the learning experience, allowing time to review content, strengthen understanding, and progress with confidence.
Yes. You can pause and resume your progress at any time within your one-year access period. The program automatically saves your place so you can return whenever it works best for your schedule.
You will earn digital badges and CEU Certificates at multiple points along the way, including:
To earn a milestone certificate, learners must complete all sessions within that milestone, including the required knowledge checks and surveys.
Once learners complete all nine milestones, and complete the final evaluation, they will earn the full Life Cycle of the Award Certificate of Completion.
In addition, learners who complete both enrichment sessions—AI and Leadership—will receive a special Enrichment Certificate recognizing completion of the Life Cycle enrichment experience.
It takes approximately 41 hours to complete the course components. A detailed breakdown of each milestone and its length can be found in the Program Overview above.
Yes. Once you complete all requirements for a badge, it will become available in the course. You can claim it by clicking “Badge Earned.” This page will show your badge (with an image you can download), the CEUs earned, and a shareable URL.
You will also receive an email confirming the badge, which includes a direct link to share it on LinkedIn.
Dear Luca,
Congratulations! You have earned the digital badge, Navigating Audits, from the National Council of University Research Administrators. Your badge can be shared electronically with others via email or social media networks, and can be displayed on your resumes, email signature, job boards or anywhere across the web.
For bulk purchases, if your manager would like an update on your progress or proof of completion, the purchaser of the seat(s) may request your progress and/or completion status at any time by emailing lifecycle@ncura.eduwith the subject line “Participants Progress.” You may also keep your manager informed by forwarding the badge notification emails you receive throughout the course.
Yes. After completing a milestone, you can access your certificate under the corresponding badge. To view or print your certificate, click “View or Print Your Certificate.”
This is a certificate program with milestone-based completion requirements, offering certificates for each milestone, a full program certificate, and a special enrichment certificate for completing the AI and Leadership sessions.
You can earn up to 4.1 CEUs by completing the core milestones in this course (41 contact hours).
CPEs are not currently available for this program.
Credits are calculated at a rate of 1 credit for every 10 hours of instructional time. Credit hours are awarded proportionally based on the length of each milestone:
• Milestone I (0.5 hours): 0.05 CEU Credits • Milestone II (8 hours): 0.8 CEU Credits • Milestone III (4.5 hours): 0.45 CEU Credits • Milestone IV (3.5 hours): 0.35 CEU Credits • Milestone V (6 hours): 0.6 CEU Credits • Milestone VI (2 hours): 0.2 CEU Credits • Milestone VII (3 hours): 0.3 CEU Credits • Milestone VIII (5 hours): 0.5 CEU Credits • Milestone IX (3 hours): 0.3 CEU Credits • Milestone X (2 hours): 0.2 CEU Credits • Milestone XI (3 hours): 0.3 CEU Credits
Participants who complete all milestones will earn a total of 4.1 CEUs. 41 Credit hours are reflected on earned certificates.
You will receive a digital badge that can be shared on LinkedIn, as well as an official NCURA certificate that can be viewed or printed for your records.
No. Credits are awarded only upon full completion of the required sessions and knowledge checks associated with each milestone. Partial completion does not qualify for credit.
Yes, the Research Administrators Certification Council (RACC) recognizes NCURA as an authorized provider of RA-related professional development meetings, programs, courses, and activities, for credit toward certification and recertification for the CRA, CPRA and CFRA Certifications.
Individual registrations: You may request a refund before your first login to begin the course. Approved refunds will be issued minus a $75 administrative fee by emailing lifecycle@ncura.edu.
Group/institutional (bulk) registrations: Bulk purchases are not refunded on a per-learner basis once discount codes are issued. However, if a discount code has been assigned to an individual who has not yet logged in or started the course, that discount code may be reassigned to another learner at your institution.
If a bulk registration discount code has been assigned to the wrong individual who has not yet logged in or started the course, that discount code may be reassigned to another learner at your institution. Please contact lifecycle@ncura.edu for support.
Cancellation is not available once you begin the course.
Sharing logins or course materials is prohibited. Access to the Life Cycle of the Award is provided for individual use only, and content may not be shared, distributed, reproduced, or reused outside the registered learner. Recording any portion of the program is also prohibited.
Yes. All recordings and materials in the Life Cycle of the Award are for personal use only by the registered learner and may not be shared or distributed.
Purchasers of bulk seats can request to see the progress of those participants by emailing lifecycle@ncura.edu with the subject line: Participants Progress.
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Group / Institutional Registration
If your organization would like to register multiple learners, the purchaser can register for seats in bulk here: Life Cycle Bulk Registration
Each learner will then go to NCURA’s Online Learning Site, log in using their NCURA credentials, and register for the Life Cycle using their discount code the bulk package purchaser at their institution has purchased, during the checkout process.
Yes. Bulk registration discount codes may be assigned to team members at any time. Once an individual logs in to the course for the first time, their one-year access period begins. Discount codes that have not yet been used may be reassigned as staffing changes occur.
Yes. If a discount code has been assigned and the individual has registered but has not logged in to the course for the first time, the discount codes may be reassigned to another team member. Once the course has been accessed, transfers, cancellations, and reassignments are not available.
For bulk purchases, if the purchaser would like an update on your progress or proof of completion, the purchaser of the seat(s) may request progress and/or completion status at any time by emailing lifecycle@ncura.edu with the subject line “Participants Progress.”
The Life Cycle of the Award curriculum was developed by NCURA’s Professional Development Committee in collaboration with a dedicated development team and more than 100 expert presenters from across the research administration community.
Content is reviewed on an ongoing basis throughout the year by subject matter experts to ensure it remains current, accurate, and aligned with evolving regulations and best practices in research administration.
Yes! Each milestone includes a feedback survey that you can submit at any time. We’re committed to continuously improving and expanding the Life Cycle of the Award to meet the evolving needs of the research administration community.
Any other questions? Please contact us at lifecycle@ncura.edu