Three Jesuit universities have created an association, the Tri-Alliance for Post-Award Innovation, committed to advancing research excellence by coordinating collaborative activities and sharing resources. Loyola Marymount University, Santa Clara University and University of San Francisco, members of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, are each recognized as an emerging research institution.
The consortium was awarded $7.2 million from the National Science Foundation to pool their resources to increase sponsored research expenditures, but the impact will extend beyond the financial metrics. More impactful, the consortium will cultivate equitable access to research support services at emerging research institutes; build a strong network through collective training and education; and establish a sustainable, replicable model of collaboration that will strengthen research activities at emerging institutions across the nation.
“I am thrilled about the opportunity to expand and grow with our sister Jesuit institutions in California as we cultivate best practices in sponsored research activities, enhance reporting capabilities, increase education and training, and support faculty,” said Angie Rochat, LMU’s assistant vice provost for research.
Rochat will serve as the project’s principal investigator from LMU’s Office of Research and Sponsored Projects and Aida Shadfan will serve as the co-principal investigator from LMU’s Finance Division; Santa Clara’s Sponsored Projects Office led by Mary-Ellen Fortini; and USF’s Office of Sponsored Projects led by Camille Coley, comprise the three recipient entities. Strengthening post-award research administration and project management infrastructure is crucial for emerging research institutions, such as those in the Tri-Alliance, seeking to expand sponsored research activities, support faculty, comply with regulations, effectively manage funding, improve efficiency, and mitigate risks.
“Santa Clara is so pleased to be part of the Tri-Alliance grant. The funding will help us build critical operational infrastructure to support knowledge creation by our faculty and students. That’s extraordinary,” said Santa Clara Executive Vice President and Provost James M. Glaser. “It’s especially meaningful to do this in partnership with the University of San Francisco and Loyola Marymount University, fellow Jesuit institutions with similar ambitions. We don’t often work across institutions this way, but as this project shows, we can and we should.”
Coley, USF’s associate vice provost of sponsored programs and external partnerships, added: “This partnership strengthens USF’s commitment to supporting faculty and advancing creative and scholarly excellence across all disciplines, ensuring that emerging research institutions like ours have the resources and infrastructure needed to thrive in an increasingly complex research landscape.”
A crucial component to the financial management of sponsored projects is innovative blended positions, especially in non-financial compliance, fiscal analysis, and award management that play a pivotal role in increased support for faculty research. The Tri-Alliance will pilot cross-divisional positions for enhanced post-award infrastructure, which are financial analysts, sponsored project managers, and non-financial compliance coordinators.
The goals of the project, as described in the team’s summary, are: build capacity in post-award administration and project management support through innovative staffing and enhanced university financial systems; increase resources, training, and education programs in post-award sponsored activities and project management support services to enhance efficiency and ensure equitable access and participation for faculty, emphasizing diversity and inclusion across all disciplines and demographics; create a sustainable research administration model for emerging research institutions of similar size and scope through the creation of guiding documents and resources for replication.
By 2029, the consortium aims to achieve: a 25 percent increase in sponsored research expenditures and indirect cost recovery from the Tri-Alliance, the utilization of best practices by 80 percent of post-award staff, and satisfaction with post-award services from at least 70 percent of faculty.
Each year, the Tri-Alliance Project management team, in coordination with the Compliance Advisory Committee, will hold a minimum of three one-hour town hall-style workshops that will be hosted and delivered by sponsored research staff at one or more institutions and delivered to all three campuses via Zoom. The project team, with the support of the Tri-Alliance Project Coordinator, will also develop a webpage hosted by LMU to provide information about the project and publicize program activities to emerging research institutions.
“The NSF GRANTED initiative expects the Tri-Alliance for Post Award Consortium project to provide new insights and knowledge into how emerging research institutions can effectively manage and grow sponsored research activities,” said Kim Littlefield, NSF GRANTED program director. “By building post-award capacity, sharing resources, and piloting innovative support roles, these universities have the potential to transform their research enterprise and serve as a scalable and translatable model for broadening and diversifying participation in research activities.”
