Millions of people are navigating working from home for the first time as the world grapples with the impact of COVID-19. Research administrators are no exception, and in a time when your work is more important than ever, ensuring a successful transition from a traditional office setting to a home workspace is essential.
Thankfully, cloud software makes it easier to work from home or anywhere with internet access. You can still get the job done away from campus (albeit with a few more distractions, like kids and pets). For those of you using Cayuse’s cloud-hosted software, we’ve compiled a few tips to make your life a bit easier during this time of remote work.
Communicating updates
Do you need to share changes in office hours for your Office of Sponsored Programs or a federal submission deadline extension? Both Proposals and Human Ethics provide custom in-app messaging that can be used to communicate key updates to all users. Admins can find this feature under the More menu: System Messages.
Roles and responsibilities
Right now, your central Office of Research may need extra time to make changes to departmental role assignments. Rather than taking on the sole responsibility themselves, Offices of Research could choose to temporarily spread that responsibility out to the units at their institution. Sponsored Projects Role Managers could be added at the department/college/unit level to certain authorized individuals who could then help determine who can view, review, and approve proposals on behalf of their own unit at an institution.
Help is on the (virtual) way
With your IRB office now “out of office,” you can answer questions in advance by adding helpful text in your Human Ethics smart forms. Also, the Cayuse Help Center in the lower right corner question mark icon in Human Ethics can offer guidance and walkthroughs if the IRB office personnel is temporarily not available. Smart forms can also be updated by Admins to include new text instructions and/or indicate new phone numbers and contact information.
Note to self
In a time where our brains are overloaded with information and changes, it can be hard to rely on memory alone to track proposals that come through. Sponsored Projects users can use “Events” to create notes and reminders to help remember information that might require special attention down the line. Noting any COVID-19 related issues such as no-cost extensions can help in the future to tell the full story of awards and assist in keeping up with reporting, etc.
Additional funding for coronavirus research
Is your institution working on COVID-19 related research and needing to submit a grant for Rapid Response Research (RAPID)? Proposals has the capability to handle these types of forms quickly and accurately. Also, our partner Pivot is now offering free access to COVID-19 related research funding opportunities. You can find a list of relevant funding opportunities related to COVID-19 from a variety of global funders from the Research Professional News site.
Have other questions or need extra assistance? We’re here for you! Contact our Customer Support Team.
