Professional development, training, and networking are essential to the effective and efficient administration of sponsored research. While there are several organizations and publications that support research administrators, those listed below represent the organizations most commonly accessed by those in the field. ARA encourages readers to peruse the websites to learn more about the featured organizations.
National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA)
National Website: www.ncura.edu
Region V Website: http://www.ncuraregionv.com
NCURA is an internationally recognized organization whose mission is “to serve members and advance the field of research administration through education and professional development programs, the sharing of knowledge and experience, and by fostering a professional, collegial, and respected community”. NCURA’s primary audience is those involved in the administration of research at institutions of higher education.
NCURA’s professional development and training opportunities span the spectrum of research administration in the form of 3 national meetings per year, regional meetings, 6 different 2-2 ½ day traveling workshops, online tutorials, videos, and webinars. In addition to the networking offered at professional meetings, NCURA is host to Collaborate NCURA, an online community, listservs, and discussion groups. NCURA’s volunteer opportunities allow members to challenge themselves while expanding their professional network, developing new skills and applying existing skills to the benefit of others.
Members are able to serve on committees, run for governance positions, present at meetings and conferences, and submit articles for publication in NCURA Magazine. Some of these resources are limited to members. Non-members can attend meetings, workshops, and access certain online resources.
Upon joining NCURA, members are automatically affiliated with Regional divisions. Members at The University of Texas at Austin are part of NCURA Southwestern Region V. Region V also offers volunteer and presentation opportunities.
What Your Colleagues Say about NCURA
NCURA Level I and II /or/ Departmental and Financial Research Administration Workshops are great workshops to attend if you are within your first 6 months to 3 years of research administration. ~Vanessa Lopez
If you talk to any long-time NCURA member, they’re likely to have stories or tell you that that they served on the Board, or on standing committees, or that their NCURA volunteer pathway started with helping out at the registration desk at their first conference. Every volunteer experience is an important one, and volunteers are critical to the mission and goals of NCURA. ~Barbara Reyes
NCURA uses an online and mobile application called Guidebook to publish increase accessibility of meeting schedules and information. So the sessions are all on your phone and you stay updated on room changes. You can also set reminders for the sessions you plan to intend. ~Katie Beth Willis
Regional meetings are a great way to meet folks from around Texas and Oklahoma. Since we work with a lot of state schools this is a way to network. It’s a great gateway into NCURA. ~Mohini Patel
Society of Research Administrators International (SRAI)
SRAI provides education, professional development, and the up-to-date information about research management to an international membership spanning the entire spectrum of research institutions, from universities to hospitals to government and non-profit agencies to industry. SRAI’s mission is to “develop, define, and promote international best practices in research management, administration, knowledge transfer and growth of the research enterprise”. SRAI members are assigned to Sections. The University of Texas at Austin is part of the Southern Section.
SRAI offers an annual national meeting, regional meetings, contact hours and continuing education credit, certificate programs, webinars, and The Journal of Research Administration, a semi-annual publication enriching the body of knowledge in research administration. A few ways that Research administrators can become involved with SRAI are by attending conferences/meetings, serving on committees, volunteering, and presenting at meetings. You do not have to be a member to attend meetings or purchase webinars.
What Your Colleagues Say about SRAI
As a new member, the SRAI group was welcoming and helpful. The Newcomer’s Reception helped orient me to the organization and make the most of the conference offerings. ~Cory Davis
If you attend a conference or meeting take advantage of the certificate programs! Certificate programs require a half- or full-day workshop along with required and elective concurrent sessions relevant to the program you choose to follow. Use the certificate-tracking booklet to record your progress. ~Julie Campos
National Organization of Research Development Professionals (NORDP)
In a grassroots movement, NORDP was established to provide a community for Research Development professionals to enhance the research enterprise at their institutions. NORDP develops and shares best practices for attracting and managing research funding, building and implementing collaborative services and resources that span disciplines, and crossing administrative boundaries within organizations and beyond. NORDP members are involved in all areas of research support, from departmental staff to central administration.
NORDP hosts an annual conference focused on “understanding trends in research funding, networking, and discussing resources and skills that research development professionals bring to help organizations attract funding, increase competitiveness, create research relationships, and foster innovations.” You do not have to be a member to attend the conference. Presentations from previous conferences are available online. Other resources available to NORDP members include regional meetings, listservs, webinars, and a mentoring program. NORDP affords its members the opportunity to volunteer, join committees, and present at conferences.
What Your Colleagues Say About NORDP
Regional meetings are great for meeting people in your area. There are networking dinners every night that focus on specific discussion topics. There are also volunteer opportunities (such as note-taking) during conferences that allow members become more involved. ~Jeremiah Paulus
Research Administrators Certification Council (RACC) and the Certified Research Administrator exams
The RACC is a private, independent, nonprofit organization that develops and administers a voluntary program for the certification of research administrators meeting established requirements. The RACC administers 3 exams: the Certified Research Administrator (CRA) exam, the Certified Pre-award Research Administrator (CPRA) exam, and the Certified Financial Research Administrator (CFRA) exam.
The designation of CRA, CPRA, and CFRA means that an individual has met the eligibility requirements of the RACC and has demonstrated a level of knowledge necessary for a person to a professional research administrator. There are many benefits to becoming a CRA, CPRA, or CFRA, such as:
- Demonstrated expertise and commitment to excellence in the profession of research administration
- Improved communication with colleagues, including faculty, administrative staff, and other research administrators
- Positively impacting the efficiency and effectiveness of research administration in your department and across campus
- Advancement opportunities
- Increased confidence
What Your Colleagues Say About Becoming a CRA
Preparing for and passing the CRA exam was an extremely rewarding accomplishment through which I gained a greater understanding of the field of research administration. Holding a CRA designation has positively impacted my confidence as a research administrator as well as my relationships with my colleagues. ~Anise Hawkins
The process of studying and passing the CRA exam definitely changed a lot more than my signature line. During my studies, it became clear that there is so much more about research administration I have yet to absorb which inspired me to switch teams within OSP and begin processing awards (and eventually subawards) on the Grants & Contracts Team. Becoming a CRA has definitely benefited my experiences professionally and through various networking opportunities within Research organization and conferences. ~Yvette Cañedo
NYC Research Administration Demonstration Series hosted by New York University
https://wp.nyu.edu/nyuresearchrad/
Originating at The New School, the NYC Research Administration Demonstration (RAD) Series is now hosted at NYU. RAD was created in partnership with the Cohort for Efficiencies in Research Administration (CERA). RAD was created due to the current economic pressures, where it has become increasingly difficult to identify the required resources to train research administrators and aid their professional development/career growth.
The goal of RAD is to provide information/knowledge sharing for all research administrators. New research administrators could utilize RAD as part of their new employee onboarding, while veteran research administrators could utilize RAD for their continued learning (or refresher).
All interested parties are welcome! All RAD sessions are taught by national-level, expert presenters. All sessions are free ($0 cost). NYU can provide CEU or certificate of attendance/completion.
What Your Colleagues Say About NYC RAD NYU
The Research Administration Development sessions are a find! Offered at zero cost. The fact they provide CEU or certificates of attendance/completion is just a bonus to the bounty information you can learn from each session. Sessions touch base on introductory information, but for those interested, they allow you to delve deeper into particular topics led by national level, expert presenters. This is a must try. ~Maggie Gillean Schamber