Effort reporting isn’t just a compliance requirement — it’s the backbone of research integrity and funding accountability. This session breaks down the risks of mismanagement, from audit findings to financial penalties, and explores best practices to ensure accurate, timely effort certification.

Content Level: Basic

Learning Objectives:

1. Explain why accurate effort reporting is critical to research integrity and funding accountability, including the potential compliance, audit, and financial risks associated with mismanagement.
2. Apply best practices for monitoring, documenting, and certifying effort to support timely, accurate reporting and reduce institutional risk. 

Speaker(s): Denise Wynn, Wynn Essentials

Research administration teams are often expected to take on increasing responsibilities without additional resources. This session focuses on how to assess team workload by identifying tasks, frequency, and time investment—and converting that effort into financial impact using salary and fringe equivalents. Participants will learn how to organize and quantify workload data to move beyond anecdotes and advocate effectively for additional staffing, responsibility realignment, or process improvements.

Content Level: Intermediate

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify and quantify core workload activities to measure team output accurately.
2. Translate workload data into financial impact to support staffing and resource advocacy discussions with leadership.

Speaker(s): Lacey Rhea, Duke University

This concurrent session for beginners will look at how pre-award research administrators can use AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude to identify, assess and communicate about funding opportunities; assess match with applicants, and summarize guidelines to identify strengths and weaknesses.

Content Level: Basic

Learning Objectives:

1. Learn to design and execute AI-assisted searches that identify relevant funders, analyze their strategic priorities, and assess likelihood of funding alignment.
2. Discuss structured evaluation frameworks using AI tools to score and prioritize funding opportunities for researchers.
3. Synthesize AI-generated analyses into clear, actionable recommendations that help researchers make informed decisions about which opportunities to pursue.

Speaker(s): Joseph McNicholas, University of Kentucky

Have you ever wondered what happens in the weeks & months after you submit a grant proposal? Puzzled over the difference between a fundable proposal and a rejected one? At this session, you will hear from a former National Endowment for the Humanities Senior Program Officer who will provide practical, actionable tips for crafting a successful proposal and successfully overseeing the life of your award.

Content Level: Intermediate

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will learn how to shape a proposal to match the needs of a specific funder.
2. Participants how reviewers evaluate alignment with program goals.
3. How funding agencies assess if grantees deliver on their promises.

Speaker(s): Caroline Corlina, Independent Scholar, Former NEH Senior Program Officer

The modern research administration office is a crossroads of generations—Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z—each bringing distinct communication styles, values, and expectations to the table. As institutions adapt to hybrid work, emerging technologies, and evolving funding landscapes, understanding how to bridge generational gaps has become essential for collaboration and retention.

This interactive session explores how generational perspectives shape workplace culture and operations within research administration. Participants will examine how different age cohorts approach communication, technology, supervision, and problem-solving, using real-world examples from grant management and compliance environments. Through guided discussion and group activities, attendees will identify strategies to strengthen cross-generational relationships, foster mutual respect, and build inclusive, high-performing teams.

By the end of the session, participants will walk away with practical tools to enhance collaboration, reduce friction, and leverage the strengths of every generation represented in today’s research administration workforce.

Content Level: Basic

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify defining traits, values, and work styles across five generations present in today’s workforce.
2. Recognize how these generational differences influence communication, technology use, and collaboration in research administration.
3. Apply strategies to enhance intergenerational teamwork and reduce friction in grant management environments.
4. Develop an inclusive office culture that supports retention, mentorship, and institutional knowledge transfer.

Speaker(s): Erika Cottingham, Auburn University

AI tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, and Bard are accelerating the digital transformation of research administration. They can streamline reporting, grant management, and compliance tasks—but they also introduce risks if used without proper guardrails.

This session gives research administrators the skills and awareness to use AI responsibly. Participants will learn how to critically assess AI outputs, communicate results effectively, and apply cybersecurity best practices to protect sensitive data while benefiting from AI’s efficiency.

Content Level: Intermediate

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify appropriate and inappropriate use cases for AI tools within research administration workflows.
2. Analyze AI-generated outputs to detect inaccuracies, bias, compliance gaps, and data security risks.
3. Apply institutional data security and confidentiality safeguards when using AI tools in pre-award, post-award, and compliance activities.

Speaker(s): Faisal Ahmed, CEO, Benchmark Network Solutions; Kirk Montgomery, City of Mebane

Subrecipient monitoring remains one of the most scrutinized and high-risk areas in research administration. This session provides a comprehensive overview of subrecipients under the Uniform Guidance (UG), walking participants through the full lifecycle—from determination and agreement execution to risk assessment, monitoring, and closeout. Participants will gain practical tools and strategies to strengthen compliance, mitigate risk, and support successful collaborations.

Content Level: Intermediate

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand and explain the subrecipient lifecycle in accordance with Uniform Guidance (UG).
2. Understand the importance of executing each step in the lifecycle to ensure compliance and mitigate institutional risk.

Speaker(s): Patricia "Patty" Hight, Extension Foundation; Kim Fogg, Yale University - FRMS

Leading with Big Ideas: Leadership for Organizational Development in Research Ecosystems points to a style of leadership that uses bold, shared visions to reshape how interconnected research organizations collaborate, learn, and evolve over time. It emphasizes leaders who can orient whole ecosystems around ambitious purposes, then build the structures, culture, and capabilities needed to sustain innovation and adaptability.

Content Level: Intermediate

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will be able to analyze their leadership behavior in context of their organizational structure.
2. Participants will be able to design strategies for leading organizational development efforts that both strengthen individual institutions and enhance the health and performance of the wider research ecosystem they belong to.

Speaker(s): Erin Lynch, President, QEM Network

As AI tools reshape research administration—from proposal development to compliance review—are we becoming better professionals, or quietly losing the judgment and critical thinking that define expert practice? This interactive session draws on lessons from aviation, healthcare, and other high-reliability industries to examine the human factors risks of AI adoption and equip research administrators with practical frameworks for preserving professional competence while embracing AI's power. Participants will leave with concrete strategies to build adaptive, AI-augmented teams without sacrificing the expertise no algorithm can replace.

Content Level: Basic

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify the four critical human factors risks that accompany AI integration in research administration and recognize early warning signs in their own organizations.
2. Apply frameworks from high-reliability industries to design practices that preserve professional judgment and institutional knowledge.
3. Assess their organization’s AI leadership maturity and define concrete next steps toward a more intentional, strategic approach.
4. Implement reflective learning practices—including Action Inquiry—that build adaptive capacity in their teams.

Speaker(s): Heidi Everett, Duke University, CRA Admired Leadership

This session dives into the critical federal policy shifts and research security developments that research administrators must navigate to remain proactive and prepared in the months and years ahead.

Participants will examine key initiatives launched in 2025, recent Executive Orders, and evolving compliance expectations that are reshaping the research funding and regulatory landscape. The session will also explore the rapidly evolving research security and foreign influence environment, including the anticipated implementation of NSPM-33 standards and the impact of CHIPS and Science Act investments such as the NSF Secure Center & Analytics initiative.

Designed for research administrators across pre- and post-award functions, this session translates federal policy changes into practical implications for proposal development, award management, compliance oversight, and faculty advising. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of what is changing, what to monitor, and how to strategically position their offices and institutions for what comes next.

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Content Level:Intermediate

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify key federal policy changes, Executive Orders, and research security updates affecting research administration.
2. Explain how emerging requirements such as NSPM-33 and CHIPS and Science Act initiatives may impact institutional compliance and operations.
3. Apply practical strategies to support faculty and strengthen institutional readiness in a changing federal research environment.

Speaker(s): James "Jim" Luther, Yale University & NSF SECURE Center

This session is designed to equip research administrators with strategies to navigate periods of organizational and procedural change. Participants will explore practical techniques for managing stress, improving adaptability, and leveraging transitions to foster professional growth. This session aims to empower attendees to confidently tackle the dynamic challenges in research administration.

Content Level: Basic

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will be able to use practical techniques to manage stress during periods of transition.
2. Participants will utilize transition skills to foster professional growth.

Speaker(s): Kim Fogg, Yale University - FRMS

This session demonstrates how generative AI can be applied in practical, responsible ways to support research administration. Through real-world examples, participants will learn how AI can streamline routine tasks and gain actionable guidance to start using these tools confidently.

Content Level: Basic

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify practical AI use cases that can enhance efficiency and accuracy across common research administration tasks.
2. Apply practical techniques for responsible AI usage.

Speaker(s): Ashley Smith, Duke University

Join our special guest speakers for an exciting panel discussion!

Speaker(s): Dr. Rashonda Harris; Dr. Stuart Borret