EAGER: Administrative Burden in University Research Administration

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The productivity and efficiency of government-sponsored academic research depends not only upon the training, creativity, and hard work of researchers but also the administrative systems within which researchers are embedded. However, increases in the research policy-based administrative burdens experienced by academic researchers suggests there is a worrisome reduction in the percentage of work time available for core research activities. The project explores the relation of universities? diverse research administration policies and organizational structures on researchers' administrative experiences. The broader impacts of the study include providing evidence of most effective strategies for efficient research administration and suggesting possible administrative reforms, with the objective of enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of research administration and, thereby, the productivity of academic research. The research surveys academic principal investigators about their experiences with research administration, including perceptions of administration burden, the amount of time spent on grants-related administration and the strategies employed for effective and efficient research administration. The project assesses research administration activity in terms of the time and resources required but also the extent to which a policy objective. This approach implies that some administrative burden is more harmful than others; if no significant policy objective is advanced then the efforts at administrative compliance does little more than promote red tape. By contrast, activities requiring considerable administrative burden may be redeemed by serving an important policy goal or social impact. The project is based on (1) semi-structured interviews with academic researchers, as well as interviews with university research administrators who are support staff, and (2) administrative diaries provided by the PIs participating in the project.