Reflections on Research Administration
At Cayuse, we understand the amazing yet thankless work that research administrators do on a daily basis. If it weren’t for them (and the great researchers they serve, of course) we wouldn’t benefit from many of the societal and scientific advancements that enhance...
Why Cayuse Loves Research Administrator Day
It’s safe to assume that for most people September 25 is just another regular day, unless it’s your birthday or you’re a fan of National One-Hit Wonder Day or National Comic Book Day. But thanks to our friends at the National Council of University Research...
Software for Managing Crowdfunded Research Projects
What do you know about crowdfunded research projects? Most college and university research administrators are very familiar with the term “sponsored research,” meaning projects that are funded by a specific sponsor, that are restricted in the use of the funds, and...
Top 5 Reasons Your Principal Investigators (PIs) Will Benefit from eRA
Principal investigators (PIs), the people at your institution ultimately responsible for generating and carrying out sponsored projects, will benefit significantly from electronic research administration (eRA). In our blog posts and public presentations, we offer...
5 Reasons to Love IACUC
IACUC, the latest solution in the Cayuse Research Suite, is here! We love IACUC, and we’re sure you will, too. Here are five reasons why: It’s All About the Animals IACUC was designed to put the humane care and use of animal research subjects first. With built-in...
Standard Reporting – How Standard are Sponsored Projects Reports?
“I’m interested in getting some reports out of your office.” If you’re in charge of data and reporting for a Sponsored Programs Office, has there ever been a more anxiety-provoking statement? What do they want to know? How reliable is the data I have? Am I capturing...
Grant Accounting Solutions and Challenges Happen Everywhere
Ever since we started developing grant accounting solutions, our clients have shown us that there are common sets of challenges that overlap when it comes to grant management. Regardless of whether it’s a large research university or a small nonprofit, all who manage...
Embrace Technology for Improving Efficiency in Research Administration
Embrace Technology for Improving Efficiency in Research Administration Of all the goals to focus on for improving efficiency in research administration, your return on investment will be the most evident and most measurable when dedicating time to enhance your...
Best Practices with Grant Management Reporting & Invoicing
Grant milestone reporting can vary depending on how the milestone is measured, how the recipient institution tracks and monitors the milestones, and based on what the sponsor requires. When grant reporting & invoicing is dependent on time rather than milestones,...
Tips to Combat Declining NIH Award Success Rates
It’s no secret that NIH proposal acceptance rates have declined significantly since the turn of the century: -14% from 2001 to 2016, to be exact, according to NIH. Additionally, NIH budgets have remained fairly constant, averaging $30.18 billion from 2008-2015...
Grant Funding Opportunity – Should we Apply?
Researchers are barraged with funding opportunities that hold a variety of requirements. Each grant funding opportunity is communicated by a solicitation referred to as a request for proposals (RFP), request for applications (RFA) or other similar guidance. The...
Institutional Base Salary: Understanding the Components and Management
A recent NCURA training focused on the questions and intricacies research administrators face each time they work with institutional base salary. Sarah T. Axelrod, the Assistant Vice President for Harvard’s Office for Sponsored Programs, gave a presentation that...
What’s the Difference between Public and Private Grant Funding?
One may think the difference between public and private grant funding has an easy answer. Public funding comes from a federal, state, or another publicly funded agency. Private funding does not entail public funds and may include both grants and gifts, depending upon...
Documenting Personnel Compensation On a Federal Grant
Prior to 2016, the federal government issued new mandates regarding documenting personnel compensation. Effort on federal awards must be certified by the employee or an individual having firsthand knowledge of the contributed effort on a periodic basis. In an...
Tracking Grant Supplements and Supplement Applications
Grant supplements and supplement applications pose unique tracking issues for sponsored research administrators. In this blog, we first provide a brief review of supplements and discuss the unique tracking issues associated with them. What is a Grant Supplement?...
Grant Accounting Software and Journal Entries
In most research organizations, it is not unusual to have several projects that are being managed simultaneously in grant accounting software. Along with those projects, there are many expenses that are associated with them. These numerous expenses are...
Effectively Monitoring Grant Encumbrances
In the area of grant administration, the importance of tracking past expenditures is well known. However, it is equally important to track outstanding purchases. The correct fund accounting term for tracking outstanding purchases is encumbrance. The...
The Many Hats of Research Administrators: Accountant or Financial Administrator
As discussed in a previous blog, “The Ever Evolving World of Research Administrators,” there are many “hats” worn as a Research Administrator. One such “hat” that will be discussed in this blog is one of an Accountant or Financial Administrator. The role of managing...