The proposed Midwestern State University (MSU) NIH SPAD proposal addresses the critical need for increased productivity of sponsored projects administration and enhanced biomedical research and research training through addressing faculty responsibilities, institutional research culture, and MSU infrastructure. With SPAD funding, the MSU Office of Sponsored Programs and Research (OSPR) plans to implement policies that encourage research participation and intra-institutional collaboration such as indirect cost distributions, support travel to develop collaborations, attend research conferences and national training opportunities, and provide centralized shared research resources and services. A proposed OSPR Faculty Resource Center (FRC) will include a collection of grant-related resources to include training webinars/modules (CITI and NCURA) where faculty could complete training/access, have face-to-face training with colleagues, develop collaborations, and engage in other capacity-building opportunities. Biomedical research training will be enhanced with SPAD funding by providing funds to support the research training of administrators and coordinators. The MSU OSPR program objectives align with the over-arching aim of the SPAD program to increase the productivity of sponsored programs activities to enhance biomedical research and/or research training. Objective 1 promotes biomedical research and/or research training through the provision of professional development and mentoring for faculty in grantsmanship. Objective 2 facilitates the development of sponsored programs capacity and administration through the development and enhancement of pre- and post-award services. The program will focus on increasing the following short-term outcomes: increased faculty proposal writing activity, increased faculty engagement with OSPR, increased collaborations, increased engagement with undergraduate and graduate researchers, and increased OSPR efficiency. By focusing on these short-term outcomes, the program should see faculty increase proposal submissions, students increase research activity, OSPR increase development of best practices, and enhanced management of pre- and post-award activities. These intermediate outcomes should, in the long-term, lead to increased faculty and student grant activity to include publications, presentations, and awards and improved grants management. Finally, an increase in faculty research activity, an increase in overall student research activity leading to a rise in the number of students who pursue biomedical research careers, and an increase in the overall productivity of sponsored programs activity should demonstrate the impact of the program.
SPAD at Midwestern State University Project Narrative Midwestern State University?s (MSU) NIH SPAD proposal addresses the critical need for increased productivity of sponsored projects administration and enhanced biomedical research and research training by addressing faculty responsibilities, institutional research culture, and MSU infrastructure.
