The authors of this report call on their colleagues to adopt "Public Impact Research" (PIR) as a broad label to describe how university research improves lives and serves society--locally, regionally, nationally, and globally. Using PIR consistently along with fundamental discovery and training the next generation workforce communicates…

Research administrative supports must parallel and reinforce faculty initiatives in research grant procurement. This article features several types of developments that draw on presentations at the National Association of Deans and Directors of Schools of Social Work meetings. Key changes in social work programs are addressed, including the…

Recognising the existence of customer-supplier roles and relationships in the performance of research can lead to an improvement in the management, and hence delivery, of research. Research, especially university-based research, is often managed with a light touch, with the researchers operating independently, and neither their institution nor…

American research universities addressed issues of shared funding and overhead for research long ago. British universities are now establishing their own rules. The Commission of European Universities has worked on a model contract that represents progress, but major issues of partnership and patronage arising from differential institutional…

Sources of potential health-related research support outside the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are discussed to encourage VA field research administrators to seek out new research funding arrangements. The history and scope of extra-VA research funding is reviewed and the VA research administrator's role is examined. (MSE)

Systems dynamics, a computer-based tool for visualizing how parts of an organization work together over time, is a valuable tool in administrative decision making. Feedback loops among elements mimic complicated behavior in real or imagined situations. An experiment using the technique with a simple research funding model validated its utility.…

The State University of New York College at Brockport's experience in overcoming organizational challenges to implementing a successful sponsored research program is outlined step by step. A key to program success has been psychological support and supportive climate for faculty and staff through every stage of grant seeking. (Author/MSE)

A collaborative research program in auger spectroscopy at the University of Liverpool (England) involved scientists from 12 universities and research groups in 5 European countries and financed with international funds is described. The experience of the collaborators suggests how similar projects might be initiated and managed. (Author/MSE)

Declining federal support for scientific research has led colleges and universities to turn increasingly to business for help. Ralph Nader recently complained that business threatens to take over the university. Closer examination suggests there is a problem but somewhat different and harder to resolve than that suggested by Nader. (Author/MSE)

The need for research administrators to understand and appreciate the pharmaceutical industry's research and development environment is discussed, using examples from Canada. The research administrator's role in the technology transfer process and implications for faculty are examined. Ways to build closer school-industry ties are discussed. (MSE)

Research administrators must establish and maintain control over discretionary spending, assure all deliverables are completed on time, and assure adequate and controlled funding for grants and contracts. Steps and approaches for accomplishing these tasks are outlined, including planning, tracking, and reporting techniques. (MSE)

A survey of 344 colleges and universities investigated current practices concerning the dissemination of information, within the institution, about research funding opportunities. Results indicate that paper dominates electronic communication for such information dissemination, and selective, targeted distribution to faculty correlates positively…

After a continuing effort to improve its grant application process, the department of medical microbiology and immunology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is submitting many more applications and realizing increased funding. The methods and strategy used to make the process more efficient and effective are outlined. (Author/MSE)

Based on experience in two different university-based social research centers (SRCs), the author discusses factors influencing support for university-based SRCs, the difficulty of transferring research findings from the SRC to the outside world, and how the social context influences the role research administrators play in this type of research…

Presnets the questionnaire used to survey college and university chief research officers in a July 1996 study, with response data summarized. The survey gathered information on the administrator's characteristics, research-funding levels and sources, costs, office functions (grant administration, research administration, ethical/legal oversight),…