Welcome to research administration in the College of Natural Sciences! Whether you are new to research administration, new to UT-Austin, or new to CNS, the information below will connect you with resources and help you integrate into your new position.
Explore our Professional Development page for opportunities to expand your research administration knowledge, skillset, and network. If you have questions about resources listed below please contact Anise Hawkins, Program Manager in Strategic Research Initiatives.
Your First Week
Join research administration listservs and networks
- CNS Research Support Staff - Contact Anise Hawkins to be added to the listserv to receive email updates from the CNS Dean's office regarding competition deadlines, changes to research policies, professional development announcment and other notices impacting research administration on campus.
- CNS Research Administrators Network (CNS RAN) - Visit our Research Administrator Resources webpage for more information.
- Association of Research Administrators (ARA) - A campus-wide network of research administrators whose mission is to provide opportunities for networking, professional development, information exchange, and informal discussion in pursuit of improving research administration. ARA conducts regularly scheduled meetings with an Education Series relevant to research support personnel.
- Research Administrators Network (RAN) listserv - Visit OSP's Research Administrator Network webpage for information and subscription instructions.
- OSP's Sponsored Research News - Published by UT's Office of Sponsored Projects, this monthly newsletter will help you stay informed of regulations and UT policies and procedures impacting sponsored research.
Request/verify access to key electronic systems
- UT Research Management Suite - UT's internal grant tracking system. You'll need the authorization to view entries under the unit codes associated with your department and the faculty you support. Submit an ERA Help Ticket for access to UT-RMS.
- Research.gov - NSF's grant management system. New users register direcrtly through Research.gov.
- NIH eRA Commons (Commons) -Submit an ERA Help Ticket for access to Commons.
- DEFINE - Mainframe application that allows users to access accounting information and to perform numerous accounting and financial-related tasks. Check with your supervisor to determine if you need access to DEFINE.
- Workday - Web-based management system for human capital management and payroll services. Check with your supervisor to determine if you need access to Workday.
- FRMS (Financial Resource Management System) - Web-based management system for processing financial transactions. Check with your supervisor to determine if you need access to FRMS.
sign up for relevant training courses
- Explore OSP's Training and Resources page for information about on-campus workshops, training, and others resources relevant to research administrators.
identify active awards and pending actions in your department
- Meet with someone in your department to discuss current awards and pending actions.
- Reach out to faculty for information about pending actions and upcoming needs.
Your First Month
browse websites to familiarize yourself with various procedures, policies, and college- and university-specific information
- Strategic Research Initiatives (SRI)
- Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP)
- Office of Research Support and Compliance (RSC)
- Discoveries to Impact (research commercialization)
- Office of the Vice President for Research, Scholarship, and Creative Endeavors (VPR)
bookmark online resources and frequently visited webpages.
eRA Commons delegations
If your faculty proposes to or conducts research with NIH, you will need access to faculty-specific proposal and grant information in Commons. Email NIH-funded faculty the instructions for delegating authorizations to you in Commons. Instructions are found in the eRA Commons User Guide.
spend time learning departmental processes to gain an understanding of how your work impacts that of your co-workers and vice versa.
Introduce yourself
- To your central office grants and/or account specialists - Visit OSP's Find My Grants or Account Specialist webpage to identify your contacts.
- To the faculty you support - Consider asking your department chair to introduce you during a department faculty meeting.
- To other CNS research administrators - Anise Hawkins can support your integration with the research administration community on campus
meet with strategic research initiatives
Meet with us for an overview of research administration at UT-Austin, discussion of college-specific research policies, proposal preparation guidance, and/or a consultation to develop effective strategies to shepherd proposals through the research administration pipeline. Email CNS_SRI@austin.utexas.edu (or contact Anise Hawkins directly) to schedule a meeting.
