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Division for Research

ORED Pathfinder Award

The ORED Pathfinder Award celebrates ORED team members who go above and beyond their stated duties by taking the initiative to identify challenges, propose constructive solutions, and implement those solutions to improve ORED’s operational excellence, research impact, and to execute on our strategic goals. This award empowers recipients to create visible and lasting improvements for ORED and UA’s broader research and economic development enterprise.

submit proposal

Eligibility

  • Any ORED team member is eligible to submit proposals.
  • A member from the ORED team may submit one proposal per month but may be selected no more than twice per year.
  • Submissions must come directly from team members (no peer or supervisor nominations); however, supervisor concurrence is required on the submission.

Submission and Evaluation Process

  • Team members submit a short proposal (using the online Pathfinder Proposal form).
  • Proposals must include:
    1. The challenge/opportunity identified.
    2. A clear, actionable, constructive solution.
    3. The potential impact, with quantifiable metrics.
    4. Potential units to be impacted.
    5. Resources required (if any)
  • Proposals are due by the 15th of each month; proposals received after the 15th will be considered the following month.
  • A cross-unit committee within ORED reviews all submissions.

Selection and Empowerment

  • Each month, the committee may select one proposal as the pressing issue to address.
  • The selected team member is recognized as that month’s ORED Pathfinder.
  • The selected team member will be empowered to lead efforts toward implementation over the next 1–2 months.
  • If the committee determines that a selected proposal has been successfully implemented, the selected person will receive a $500 award in recognition of their contribution, distributed in accordance with University policy.

Recognition

  • Award recipients will be recognized at the quarterly ORED all-hands meeting.
  • Once the proposed project is complete, outcomes will be shared to highlight the impact.

Expectations

  • Proposals selected will highlight solutions that are realistic, constructive, and aligned with ORED’s mission and current strategic plan. Selected proposals will offer solutions that can be immediately addressed, with changes implemented in 4-8 weeks.
  • The selected person is expected to take ownership of leading the solution process, with appropriate ORED support.
  • Both small-scale fixes and larger improvements are eligible, if they demonstrate meaningful value to ORED’s work and agree with the timeline described above.