In August of 2021 a project team was created by Dr. Robert Nobles to evaluate the Research Administration Services (RAS) information technology and process. The primary charge of the project team was to evaluate duplicate points of entry and gain efficiencies through system integration and process improvements. Once the evaluation was completed, the goal was to provide observations and recommendations for next steps. This group is co-chaired by Kimberly Maune, Executive Associate Dean for Finance and Administration, Chief Business Officer Rollins School of Public Health and Marc Overcash, Deputy Chief Information Officer and the Assistant Dean of Information Technology School of Medicine. The working group members are comprised of fourteen members from the Office of Information Technology, Office of Research, and school representatives. Several committees received reports and provide input and feedback, including the ORA Faculty Advisory Board, Emory Financial Network, ITSC Research Administration Committee, and Chief Business Officer Collaboration group.
The project team has completed process maps for each task within the RAS lifecycle which includes the various systems needed to complete each process. With the completion of the process maps the project team has identified short-term, mid-range, and long-term observations and recommendations to improve both systems, processes and duplication. The observations and recommendations have been presented to all partners. High-level plans for the future can be found in our ORA Technology Roadmap.
If you have additional questions about the Research Administration IT Process Updates or recommendations, please contact Kimberly Maune at kmaune@emory.edu or Marc Overcash at moverca@emory.edu.