ORED is committed to supporting scholars as they forge frontiers of discovery, translation, and impact. In support of that mission, we formed three ad hoc task forces to evaluate three of our programmatic areas. We thank the staff and faculty who met over the summer to make key recommendations that are currently being operationalized.
Human Subjects Research Efficiency Task Force
The Human Subjects Research Task Force focused on streamlining processes for HRPP/IRB review while maintaining the highest standards of regulatory compliance. The task force’s goal was to improve the HRPP/IRB review process to allow as much time as possible to focus on scholarly activities, allowing UA researchers and the UA enterprise to out-compete peer institutions.
Members: Rebecca Allen, Elizabeth Elder, Michael Ford, Leah LeFebvre, Kory Trott, Teresa Welch, Lee Winchester
Recommendations
- Evaluation of the University’s current system for electronic research administration. A new ERA system will help HRPP to maintain consistency and provide an optimal user experience for the UA research community, HRPP staff, and the IRB, leading to a more productive and connected research enterprise.
- Expedited project determination review processes. The determination forms will allow study teams to receive a faster determination about whether their project requires HRPP/IRB review.
- Improved transparency in the HRPP/IRB review process. The HRPP will develop a process to send a notification to the PI to let them know when a protocol is assigned to an analyst. This will improve transparency while also giving the PI a point of contact within HRPP to ask questions about the review process.
- Requirement for faculty advisors to sign off on student research projects. Increased faculty oversight of student-led projects will improve protocol quality, which will help to reduce HRPP/IRB review times.
- Template language for describing mandatory reporting requirements in informed consent documents. Template language will help to save time and improve consistency.
- Approved templates and guidance for recruitment materials. Consistent use of the UA brand identity will reduce the administrative burden on researchers while improving recognition and trust in the University’s research enterprise.
- Virtual HRPP office hours. Virtual Office Hours will give researchers an opportunity to ask questions about the HRPP/IRB review process.
- Withdrawing a project from further HRPP/IRB consideration after 60 days of inactivity. This change will allow the HRPP/IRB to focus its review on submissions that are ready to move forward. The projected impact of this change is an improvement in overall processing time.
- Additional training and engagement opportunities. Withdrawing a project from further HRPP/IRB consideration after 60 days of inactivity.
Post-Award Efficiency Task Force
The Post-Award Task Force identified familiar challenges related to financial and non-financial post-award research administration and recommended business process enhancements to improve transparency and shorten the length of time to establish new awards and agreements, allowing quick completion of work.
Members: Jennifer Camp, Nichole Cavin, Julie Ember, Adam Hauser, Hallie Leavell, Charlie Monroe, Mercy Mumba, Misty Phillips, Kory Trott, Susan White
Recommendations
- Modernize and enhance systems and business practices to align with R1 aspirational and peer institutions.
- Provide all stakeholders with tools and resources to manage the research lifecycle with the following considerations as key priorities:
- Data transparency and accessibility at the top level (e.g., minimize the number of clicks)
- Dashboard that provides transparency into workflow and award set-up status
- Review of project expenditures
- Automated edit checks (e.g., flag restricted budget categories, push information to users, delivered reporting)
- Budget forecasting option with flexibility to change parameters
- Flexibility to review and analyze data using different perspectives (e.g., review direct costs only, categorize account codes into top level budget categories that align with sponsor budget templates)
- Central office access to status of approvals across multiple units (e.g., IRB, COI, IACUC, etc.)
Note: Task force recommends representation from faculty and departmental administrators to engage in system enhancements including evaluation of business processes, system testing, validation, and communication to other stakeholders.
- Enhance resources for various stakeholders engaged in the research lifecycle.
- Improve the research tab on myBama to include existing resource guide and other reference documents that are not readily available in current state.
- Develop best practices documents and re-name current resources to align naming convention with content.
- Add visual representation of central office process workflow to existing PI toolkit; enhance content on existing tabs.
- Improve retention and professional development of research administrators.
- Conduct survey of research administrators across campus to collect feedback on training and resource needs; prioritize development of training based on highest need.
- Create awareness of professional development opportunities, professional organizations specific to research administration, and opportunities for career advancement such as national certification (e.g., CRA, CFRA, CPRA).
- Evaluate research staffing model and structure across the University to support continuity of research and align with new ORED strategic plan initiatives.
Innovation Ecosystem Task Force
The Innovation Ecosystem Task Force focused on the pockets of intellectual property commercialization education models across campus and the groups associated with innovation commercialization. The task force’s goal was to collaborate to build the capacity of innovation programs to further translate our research and UA’s impact on society.
Members: Alankriti Bajpai, Jason Bara, Jeff Capili, Brian Davis, Pete Ludovice, Gordon Martin, Niccole Poole, Fred Spight, Lauren Wilson
Recommendations
- ORED should focus on large-scale, university-wide initiatives to increase faculty participation in innovation translation to strengthen the Innovation Ecosystem (IE) and provide targeted metrics to colleges and departments that reflect innovative impacts on society and the transfer of UA knowledge (number of disclosures, patents, innovation translations, creative activities).
- Allow the ART award to be the catalyst to begin changing the IE culture for faculty and university researchers. Use this asset to build capacity for the development of innovation translation disclosures to non-patented discoveries, increase patent innovation disclosures for the examination of cross-disciplinary opportunities for partnerships and for the development of incentive programs, and reward researchers on their societal impact.
- Make the disclosure patenting and commercialization process easier and less demanding on the researcher and reduce the researcher’s effort in translating their discoveries; provide incentivizing license terms and create programs and incentives to encourage participation in innovation creation and translation.
- Enhance interactions and connections with researchers in the Institutes and expand fellowship programs to include activities housed within the Institutes working toward embedding on site access to innovation translation experts.
- Explore creating a technology maturation funding program for UA commercialization success.
- Explore collaborations with UAB and UAH technology transfer offices, along with UA’s SBDC network capabilities for broader state and national impact (i.e., create joint tech hubs, combining portfolios, seek funding that benefits all UA System schools).