The Case for IT Planning for Research Enterprises

William F. Decker

Senior Associate

VP for Research

(bill-decker@uiowa.edu)

EDUCAUSE Live!October 11, 2005

October 11, 20052

Outline

I. Issues of concern for the Chief Research Officer (CRO)

II. Relating these concerns to IT and responsibilities of the Chief Information Officer (CIO), including suggestions for possible CRO/CIO engagement

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Problems

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Things Keeping CROs Awake at Night

Pre-award support Post-award support Policy development and research integrity Regulatory compliance Laboratory and researcher security Researcher productivity Technology transfer and economic development Growing the research enterprise / staying

competitive

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Pre-award Support

Information on sources of external support—optimizing availability and impact

Efficient proposal preparation processes Connecting with Federal and other e-systems Optimized proposal submission processes Capture of appropriate data; identification of

significant issues; records retention

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Post-Award Support

Award notification Related information dissemination—press

releases; letters of congratulations; publicity Grant accounting designed to aid

researchers and assure compliance Compliance assistance and monitoring Grant/contract credit reporting

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Policy Development and Research Integrity

Protection of basic academic freedoms Confidential or classified research issues Complexities related to the involvement of foreign

nationals Balancing competing interests (e.g. corporate versus

academic) Conflict of interest/conflict of commitment Appropriate use of university facilities Data ownership, retention, and access Other…

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Regulatory Compliance

Optimized, timely compliance processes—for example, protocol approvals

Information dissemination, training, certification Administrative support for IRB, IACUC,

Biosafety Committee, Hazardous Waste Management, Radiation Safety Committee, and on and on and …

Export controls laws

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Laboratory and Researcher Security

Security of buildings, laboratories, offices Animal care and protection Equipment protection Hazardous materials issues Research data protection and recovery Faculty, staff, and student security On-campus and off-campus issues

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Researcher Productivity

Researcher or research program profiling Targeted program information Non-intrusive, yet effective regulatory

compliance support Proposal writing support Effective grant accounting Rapid contract execution Infrastructure optimization

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Technology Transfer andEconomic Development

Administrative support for disclosures, patent management, portfolio management, licensing and options

Relationship management support IP training and processes Entrepreneurial training and processes

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Growing the Research Enterprise / Staying Competitive

All the above Public relations, perhaps especially for public

institutions Metrics and measurements Increased competitiveness Growing compliance costs Growing infrastructure costs Interdisciplinary support; inter-institutional support Identifying and supporting new areas of strength;

maintaining existing strengths

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Solutions

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Possible CRO Priorities for IT and CIOs

Direct research support Assistance in maintaining competitiveness Cost control Business process efficiency Optimal information services Measurement, assessment, and planning Security systems and access controls

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Direct Research Support

Focus on what is important: creation, understanding, dissemination, insight, preservation, locating, organizing, communicating, …

Drivers: big science, big data, multidisciplinary approaches, problem complexity, capability

Selected responses: networking, computation, visualization, collaboration, storage and information management

Distinguishing between what can be done well centrally and what can be done well in decentralized ways

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Assistance in Maintaining Competitiveness

Engaging the disciplinary communities—assisting, rather than relying on, the CRO

Building the case for infrastructure investments

Partnerships to advance opportunities Productivity and efficiency of related

business processes

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Cost Control

Reducing the cost of lost opportunity Maximizing researcher productivity Infrastructure cost—increasing the utility of

shared resources, enhancing competitive opportunity

Minimizing overhead and reducing duplication

Mitigation of risk

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Business Process Efficiency

Design and redesign (continuous process improvement)

Workflow support Monitoring, tracking, and triggering Reporting Data and record keeping, collection, retention,

flexibility, and adaptability Integration with accounting and financial systems Researchers as “operators of small businesses”

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Optimal Information Services

Information availability, accessibility, and utility

Matching information with needs Publicity with a purpose—influence, public

education

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Measurement, Assessment, and Planning

Systems and business processes that provide information to aid in managing productivity and efficiency

Collaboration in identifying areas of opportunity

Utilization measurements and capacity planning

Creating the cases for investment

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Security Systems and Access Controls

Data protection, backup, and recovery; access controls and use authorization

Assistance in managing compliance with regulatory responsibilities

Integration with other campus responsibilities Improved understanding of the complexity of the

systems that result from combinations of facilities management, IT, business processes, policies, and human social systems

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Outcomes

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CRO/CIO Collaborations

Joint planning Faculty relationships A base of trust built on delivered service,

flexibility, consultation, and understanding Collaboration in identifying and supporting

opportunity Ongoing attention

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Resource Ideas

Council on Governmental Relations (COGR): www.cogr.edu [see especially the “Members Only” section under “Educational Materials”]

Purdue University case study: http://www.educause.edu/LibraryDetailPage/666?ID=ECS0507

Council on Competitiveness: www.compete.org [see especially their Innovate America report]

National Academies Press topics on research issues and leadership: http://www.nap.edu/category.html?id=ri