Goal 2: Objective 2.4 | Penn State College of Health and Human Development

Goal 2: Supporting Research and Innovation

Grow the impact of the college’s research scholarship at least proportionate to overall University research impact growth over the next five years.

Objective 2.4: Evaluate current and implement new mechanisms that promote faculty and graduate student success securing and sustaining extramural research and research training funding.

Action Item 2.4.1

Evaluate effectiveness of current college grant writing teaching release and external reviewer program and pilot other programming to promote competitive research funding success (e.g., support buy-out of non-TT faculty time to write external grant).

Implementation Tasks

Task 1: Review all prior use of these programs: tabulate PI, year of support, cost to HHD, grant(s) submitted, timing of grant submissions, and outcome of grant review
Task 2: Estimate return-on-investment (ROI) from each type of program
Task 3: Develop and disseminate criteria for, and levels of, college contributions through cost-sharing and matching in order to promote submission in priority areas, and to help push applications over the finish line

Responsible Party: Office of the Associate Dean for Research

Metrics: (1) Total number of grants submitted and funded from each type of program; (2) ROI for each type of program.

Start and End Dates: Spring 2022 – Spring 2023; ongoing

Action Item 2.4.2

Explore the viability of a college-level methodology service center that supports foundational methods training (e.g., undergraduate or graduate courses, workshops, coordinated trainings for NIH pre-doctoral and post-doctoral fellows), methods consultation to faculty, postdocs, and graduate students, and facilitates connections between methodologically oriented faculty.

Implementation Tasks

Task 1: Conduct assessment of current resources available for methodology consulting and training in HHD and across Penn State; summarize and distribute to all researchers in HHD
Task 2: Conduct needs assessment of faculty and graduate students in HHD; summarize for Dean and Associate Dean for Research
Task 3: Consult with unit heads to discuss reports and possible cost structures to forming such a service unit

Responsible Party: Office of the Associate Dean for Research

Metrics: (1) Report resulting from assessment of currently available resources; (2) Report resulting from needs assessment.

Start and End Dates: Fall 2021 – Spring 2023; ongoing

Action Item 2.4.3

Improve administrative efficiency in college research administration.

Implementation Tasks

Task 1: Implement periodic surveys of research administration process congestion
Task 2: Develop and implement system to track processes and timing for establishing new, and maintaining existing research projects (e.g., IRB, data use agreement, funding new budgets to enable hiring of project staff) in order to identify ways to reduce administrative burden and gain efficiencies
Task 3: Increase central research administration support in key technical areas where there is not sufficient scale at local units (e.g., training grants, data security).
Task 4: Partner with the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research and its units (ORP, OSP) to facilitate research administration processes.

Responsible Party: Office of the Associate Dean for Research; HHD Research Office

Metrics: (1) Time from request to execution for key regulatory approvals, including IRB, data use agreements, and establishment of contracts; (2) Faculty satisfaction.

Start and End Dates: Spring 2021 – Summer 2022; ongoing

Key Performance Indicators

Increase in number of grants submitted and funded. Increased faculty satisfaction of pre- and post-award support.