Division of Research and Innovation Begins Pilot for New Proposal Initiation Tool

The Division of Research and Innovation is launching a pilot program designed to improve and simplify the proposal initiation process and to increase the level of proposal support for researchers.

The proposal initiation form is a newly created research advancement tool that will create a formalized approach to initial communication between PIs and DRI for all planned research proposals. The goal is to develop a new process that will decrease the PIs' workload in Streamlyne and increase the level of DRI proposal support.

The pilot will roll out in three phases. The first phase will begin on Sept. 19 and will include:

• Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation
• Department of Industrial Engineering
• Department of Mechanical Engineering
• Department of Psychological Science
• Institute for Integrative and Innovative Research, I³R
• Partners for Inclusive Communities

The second phase is tentatively planned to begin in late October and will include:

• Department of Biological Sciences
• Department of Biomedical Engineering
• Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
• Department of Computer Science and Computer Engineering
• Department of Electrical Engineering
• Department of History
• Department of Physics
• Department of Rehabilitation, Human Resources and Counseling Disorders
• Ralph E. Martin Department of Chemical Engineering
• School of Human Environmental Sciences

The third phase is tentatively planned to begin in early January and will include:

• Department of Architecture
• Department of Curriculum and Instruction
• Department of Economics
• Department of Education Reform
• Department of Geosciences
• Department of Marketing
• Department of Political Science
• Department of Sociology and Criminal Science
• Department of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures
• School of Social Work

After the successful conclusion of these three pilot phases, the Division of Research and Innovation will launch the proposal initiation form campus-wide in early 2023.

The division will host introductory training sessions for each phase during the pilot and before the beginning of the campus-wide launch. These sessions will feature an overview of the new proposal initiation form, instructions for how to complete it and answers to any questions from attendees.

The proposal initiation form will be launched through Microsoft Forms. Each pilot group will receive an email link to the form two weeks before they begin their pilot phase.

The campus community is also invited to take a pre-pilot survey to assess their experiences with proposal initiation. Researchers and administrators can find the pre-pilot survey here. All faculty and staff who have been or expect to be involved in proposal initiation are encouraged to complete this survey.  

Several universities across the U.S. have similar systems in place to standardize and simplify initial proposal communication. Universities using a similar tool include Arizona State University, Auburn University, Southern Methodist University, Stanford University and the University of Michigan.

For more information, please contact resdev@uark.edu.