NSF Grant PROSPER PUI Project
A Pilot Program to Optimize Sponsored Programs Engagement in Research at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PROSPER PUIs).
Project Overview
As part of the NSF GRANTED program, Southern Utah University (SUU) is piloting sponsored project managers and graduate assistants positions at a Primarily Undergraduate Institution (PUI). The project also includes the creation of curriculum modules that would be created to train the pilot positions and grow the research administration workforce.
Project Motivation
- Historically, SUU faculty and staff engagement in sponsored research has been low (7% participation in sponsored program funding)
- Various reasons impeding faculty from engaging (heavy faculty teaching engagements, lack of resource infrastructure, minimal understanding, and experience with federal research guidelines, etc).
- Faculty engagement in non-sponsored research has been increasing consistently over the past few years.
"Research is an essential component of a student's experiential learning and education, thus, becoming an obligation of a teaching mission institution."
"While there has been an increase in proposals submitted to SUU's Institutional Review Board (IRB), which is up 120% since 2015-16 according to the IRB 2023 data, only 7% of all SUU sponsored programs funding is for research purposes. This suggests that faculty are engaged in research but avoid seeking external funding."
Desired Outcome
The PROSPER PUIs project has an overall outcome of increasing the number of faculty engaged in sponsored research at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs). Specifically, we hope to double the sponsored project activity in the academic colleges by the end of the period of performance.
Current Award Progress
Resources are available for download to utilize. Feel free to revise as needed for your own use! Please acknowledge that this award was created under National Science Foundation Grant No. 2415672.
Resources
- Training Courses/Materials
- Canvas Course Materials
- Course 1: Introduction to Research Administration
- Course 2: Uniform Guidance
- Course 3: Cost Principles & Budgeting
- Course 4: Sponsored Project Management
- Course 5: Agency Specific Requirements
- Course 6: Level 1 Compliance - Coming Soon
- Course 7: Level 2 Compliance - Coming Soon
- If you would like a word version or curriculum via the canvas platform (i.e., Canvas Commons) for any of the above courses, contact katiegomez@suu.edu.
- Canvas Course Materials
- Program Manager Job Descriptions
- Survey
- Reports - Coming Soon
- Evaluation - Coming Soon