Along the lifecycle and timespan of every sponsored research project, numerous individuals play a role in moving the project forward administratively. The Sponsored Projects Academy helps all involved better understand the entire process – from proposal development through to project closeout – and see how each contribution fits into the extended process and supports the responsible and ethical conduct of research.

Nearly 40 signed up for the academy created and hosted by the office of Sponsored Projects, part of the University’s Research & Innovation division. Twenty-seven completed the inaugural six-week program that featured 18 presenters and concluded Friday, November 15, 2019. A wait-list of 20 is in place for the next academy being planned for spring 2020.

“We saw a need for a comprehensive training to help admins and others know who we are and what resources we offer,” said Karim Hussein, who joined the University as director of sponsored projects in February 2019. “The big picture is to help admins help their researchers and be more supportive and valuable to their faculty.”

“We are all an integral part of the research enterprise. It’s a big community,” said Nancy Pulliam, grants and projects analyst in the School of Medicine’s Office of Medical Research and an academy participant.

“A large network of talented and skilled professionals comes together to advance science, discovery and creativity at this University,” said Mridul Gautam, vice president for research and innovation. “I’m pleased to see the level of pride and interest, and applaud the Sponsored Projects team for developing this training.”

The Sponsored Projects Academy was developed as an experiential and interactive program. It explored the research-project lifecycle through proposal preparation and submission, award acceptance, account setup, project management, effort reporting and project closeout. The program addressed the role of Workday which prompted changes in roles and tasks for many. The academy cohort was also introduced to important resources available through Research & Innovation such as the departments of Research Integrity, Animal Resources and Environmental Health and Safety, as well as the Proposal Capture Group.

While Hussein hopes the program will result in fewer issues in processes and in Workday, he also hopes it contributes to career development and advancement for those who participated.

“Certainly the PIs help when they can, but they need to focus on their science. It’s my role to do the administration side of it, to make it as smooth as possible,” said Pulliam, who moved into her role in January 2019. “I now better know our process, who the players are and who I can reach out to for assistance.”

The cohort for the inaugural Sponsored Projects Academy included:

• Angela Olson, Office of the Dean, College of Business
• Angus Quinlan, Office of the Dean, College of Liberal Arts
• Annie Vicente, Center for the Application of Substance Abuse Technologies
• Beth Jacobsen, Department of Psychology, College of Science
• Brendi Gertsma, Raggio Research Center, College of Education
• Carla Beier, Northern Area, Cooperative Extension
• Deana Boes, Department of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts
• Deona Horton, Office of the Dean, College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources
• Emilie Lang, Department of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts
• Esmeralda Salas, Gender, Race and Identity program, College of Liberal Arts
• Hannah Magleby, Office of the Dean, College of Education
• Heather Damonte, Library Services
• Jeannie Harrison, Department of Anthropology, College of Liberal Arts
• Jessica Corey, Office of the Vice Provost, Office of Information Technology
• Joshua Martinmaas, Department of World Languages and Literature, College of Liberal Arts
• Kelly Barham, Nevada Center for Applied Research, Research & Innovation
• Kelly Larson, Orvis School of Nursing
• Kelly Woodward, Department of Agriculture, Veterinary and Range Science, College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources
• Loraine Fernandez, Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine
• Nancy Pulliam, Office of Medical Research, School of Medicine
• Pamela Bernaldez, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
• Ramya Fernandez, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources
• Rebecca Reyes, Research & Innovation
• Rozena Brecke, Great Basin Center for Geothermal Energy, College of Science
• Ryan Erhart, Counseling Services, Student Services
• Sara Hudspeth, Office of the Vice Provost, Information Technology
• Stephanie McCurry, Sanford Center for Aging, School of Medicine

For those who might consider completing a future Sponsored Projects Academy, Pulliam advised, “It’s going to connect the dots. It’s going to help them take it from A to Z. They’ll see the entire process and they’ll meet the people involved. They’ll know who to reach out to.”

For more information or to sign up for a future Sponsored Projects Academy, contact Hussein at karimh@unr.edu.