Planning: Formalizing a model for external review of PUI grants offices through the CLASP network

Small liberal arts colleges and universities that wish to create or strengthen their research administration infrastructure are often challenged by the cost and accessibility of external review services. This project will fill a distinct gap for predominantly undergraduate institutions (PUIs) by developing, piloting, assessing, and sharing a readily available and affordable external review service model for use at PUIs as they seek to create and/or strengthen their campus grants culture and develop research administration infrastructure. Guided by the extensive professional experiences and expertise of research administrators who are members of the Colleges of the Liberal Arts Sponsored Programs (CLASP) network, the PI and working group will formalize and share best practices around the broader operations within grants offices at PUIs. This project will have significant impact by providing a successful model for external review services specific to the PUI experience. PUIs across the nation will have access to an affordable and professional external evaluation process to aid them as they build, grow, and/or improve their own research infrastructure. This project will strengthen and grow research capacity and it will create a framework to enable PUIs to examine and improve their research enterprise. Institutions that have effective and efficient policies, processes, and administrative infrastructure can support faculty to engage in collaborative and complex proposal development activities that may involve regional, national, and international partners thereby producing meaningful research experiences for our students. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.