Division of Research and Innovation Enters Phase 2 of Pilot for New Proposal Initiation Tool

Earlier this fall, the Division of Research and Innovation launched a pilot program designed to improve and simplify the proposal initiation process and to increase the level of proposal support for researchers. Initial feedback from the first phase of the project has been positive, so the project will now enter the second phase beginning on Nov. 21.

The proposal initiation form is a newly created research advancement tool that has formalized the 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 began on Sept. 19 and included:

• 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
• Partners for Inclusive Communities

The second phase begins Nov. 21 and includes:

• 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 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 Spring 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 is launched through Microsoft Forms. Each pilot group will receive an email link to the form before they begin their pilot phase.

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.