Conference: Creation of a National Job Classification System for Research Administrators

一个强大的研究管理人员队伍加强了研究企业，促进教师招聘和保留，协助平衡研究需求和沉重的教学负担，并增加了在STEM代表性不足的少数民族的参与。该项目旨在促进制定一个适用于支持赞助研究活动的各种行政角色的国家研究管理人员职务分类系统。需要建立一个国家职务分类制度，以扩大各学科获得研究行政支助的机会，并应对所有机构，特别是新兴机构和为少数群体服务的机构的人力挑战。缺乏正式的国家职务分类制度对留住雇员产生了不利影响。这种保留问题导致重大的财务损失和生产力下降。这一问题在新兴和为少数群体服务的机构中往往更为突出，因为这些机构可能难以以具有竞争力的市场工资聘用和留住合格的研究支持人才。这削弱了它们提交竞争性申请以获得外部资金支持研究的能力。研究管理人员的国家职务分类制度将为所有机构雇用和留住研究管理人员提供公平的竞争环境。将与国际研究管理人员协会（SRAI）合作实施的三阶段会议项目采用焦点小组，调查，和小组讨论会，探讨当前围绕研究管理工作队伍的问题，以及建立国家职务分类制度的必要性。成立了一个利益攸关方指导委员会，包括来自SRAI、学院和大学人力资源专业协会（CUPA-HR）以及北方伊利诺伊大学的成员，以提供战略指导。该项目旨在克服所有学术机构开展资助研究的障碍，重点是研究管理人员为撰写提案、向外部资助机构提交提案和奖励管理提供的支持;确定招聘、留住和补偿合格研究管理人员的挑战，以提高机构在研究资金方面的竞争力;并强调有必要为研究管理角色制定正式的职务分类框架。附件包括会议每个阶段的摘要文件和总结关于获得研究资金的挑战的讨论的最后报告，为制定国家职务分类制度提出关键建议，该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。

A robust research administration workforce strengthens the research enterprise, promotes faculty recruitment and retention, assists with balancing research demands and heavy teaching loads, and increases the participation of underrepresented minorities in STEM. This project aims to contribute to the development of a national research administrator job classification system applicable to the wide array of administrative roles that support sponsored research activities. A national job classification system is needed to extend access to research administration support across disciplines and address workforce challenges at all institutions, especially emerging and minority-serving institutions. The lack of a formal, national job classification system negatively affects employee retention. This retention problem results in significant financial loss and diminished productivity. This problem is often more pronounced in emerging and minority-serving institutions because it can be difficult for these institutions to hire and retain qualified research support talent at competitive market salaries. This diminishes their capacity to submit competitive applications for external funding to support research. A national job classification system for research administrators will level the playing field for hiring and retaining research administration staff across all institutions.The three-phase conference project, to be implemented in collaboration with the Society of Research Administrators International (SRAI), uses focus groups, surveys, and panels to explore current issues surrounding the research administration workforce and the need to create a national job classification system. A steering committee of stakeholders, including members from the SRAI, the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR), and Northern Illinois University, has been formed to provide strategic direction. The project seeks to overcome barriers to conducting funded research at all academic institutions by focusing on the support provided by research administrators for proposal writing, submission to external funding agencies, and award management; identifying the challenges of recruiting, retaining, and compensating qualified research administrators to enhance institutional competitiveness for research funding; and highlighting the need for a formal job classification framework for research administration roles. Deliverables include a summary paper for each phase of the conference and a final report summarizing the discussion about challenges in obtaining funding for research, making key recommendations for developing a national job classification system, and creating organizational models to support research administration infrastructure and financing.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.