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The Office of

Sponsored Research

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Contact us

104 Airport Drive Suite 2200, CB 1350
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-1350
Phone: (919) 966-3411
Fax: (919) 962-5011 or (919) 962-3352
Email: resadminosr@unc.edu
RAMSeS Help desk: (919) 843-2594

Training and Development

Training Workshops : 

Currently, there are limited in-class offerings. 

However, for many workshops on-line materials are available.  Please note:  These training materials require Adobe Flash Player and/or Adobe Reader.

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OSR Employee Training Opportunities

Registration Information

Past Training Workshops

Library of NCURA Video/Webcast Materials

Links to Learning Resources

Training Workshops  

The Tar Heel Certificate Program in Research Administration

The Tar Heel Certificate Program is a series of classes for staff members who support the sponsored research enterprise at UNC-CH.  The classes are designed to help individuals build competencies and increase knowledge in areas related to sponsored research with the overall goal of increasing overall efficiency and effectiveness in the daily administration of sponsored research.  Presented twice a year, this program is intended for any administrative staff member who currently performs or anticipates assuming duties and responsibilities related to the administration of research contracts and grants.

Level 1 Certification

An excellent overview of Research Administration at Carolina, the Level 1 Certification course provides a solid understanding of the many components of sponsored research, from inception of a research proposal through the close-out of an awarded project.  To receive a certificate of completion, participants are required to attend each class in its entirety and actively participate in class exercises.

The program includes a series of competency tests that enable participants to receive level 1 certification and qualifies the individual to proceed to level II certification in specialized functions such as proposal management, award management and award reporting. 

For more info, go to Level I Certification THCP

Level II Certification:

To participate in level II classes, participants must first complete the requirements for level 1 certification which includes a series of competency tests available on-line.

Award Terms & Conditions

Advanced training in understanding “Award Terms and Conditions” is intended to provide guidance and resources for understanding how research funds may be used in consideration of typical circumstances. This training builds on overviews offered through the Level 1 Tarheel Certificate Program to offer more in-depth information for managing incoming awards. Training focuses primarily on standard award types and components, and frequently used award structures such as acceptable terms under the Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP), and includes definitions and common concerns. Participants examine types of conditions and typical restrictions, identify and practice with resources and policy tools, as well as various strategies for reviewing awards and planning implementation, such as respondes to funding agencies and consideration of financial guarantees. The goals of this course include providing a deeper understanding of award terms and conditions most commonly used for sponsored research awards at UNC, and the ability to relay these expectations to the Principal Investigators and researchers in implementing a new award.

Completing Grants.gov Electronic Forms

The everchanging winds of research continue to blow with a major change in software used for electronic applications and forms from Grants.gov.  PureEdge is on it's way out and Adobe on it's way in as the new standard package used to complete electronic grant applications.  In conjunction with that change, the SF424 forms are also in the throws of revision.  Come learn how to complete these new forms, the "got yas" associated with electronic submissions, and what tools are available to help you manage the process.

On-line Training Materials:

Effort Certification

Certifying personnel effort on sponsored research projects is a regulatory requirement under constant scrutiny by the Office of the Investigator General, NIH, and other federal agencies.  Because all individuals named in a research grant are required to certify his/her own effort, now more than ever, it's important to have an in-depth understanding of the ins and outs of effort reporting.  This class will focus on effort certification at UNC-CH using PARS (Personnel Activity Report System).  Discussions include determining which activities are defined under "sponsored research", how to handle cost-sharing, and how to interpret bi-weekly and monthly PAR Reports.  Examples are used to identify how to determine effort under several scenarios that may include such considerations as salary caps, 9-month vs. 12-month appointments vs. summer salary, and the like.

On-line Training Materials:

Identifying Funding Sources: Hands-On Workshop for Research Administrators

UNC-Chapel Hill research administrators are invited to attend this hands-on workshop on finding funding for research and departmental programs. The workshop focuses on COS features that enable research support staff to more easily share funding information with researchers electronically via e-newsletters, websites, and by other means. Susan Gramling, GrantSource Librarian, provides time-saving tips for conducting a funding search and an overview of resources and services available through the GrantSource Library.

In this interactive short course, learn how to:

--Make the most effective use of the COS and InfoEd Sponsored Programs Information Network (SPIN) multidisciplinary funding opportunity databases;

--Set up customized funding alerts via COS (including its new features for sharing and tracking funding opportunities);

--Set up customized funding alerts using InfoEd SMARTS/GENIUS;
search for funding using specialized funding resources such as NIH Guide and Foundation Directory Online; and

--Research actual funded awards made by NIH, NSF, EPA, AHRQ, and other sponsors, both government and private.

March 19, 2009 from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Location AOB #3101

Time is always reserved for discussion of best practices, so please come prepared to share ideas and tips on what works (and what doesn't) in your department .

Proposal Budgeting

When it comes to the basics of proposal budgeting, don't miss this class!  Learn how to estimate salary, fringe benefits, health insurance, supplements, and escalation for the project's first year and those to follow.  What is considered capital equipment?  Come find out and learn to budget for it along with travel, subcontracts, consultants, other direct costs, materials, and tuition.  In addition, get the information you need to determine how F&A (facilities and administrative) costs are determined as well as how to calculate them for your project in this hands-on workshop that offers an opportunity to practice calculating proposal elements and provides an overview of the mechanics needed to put together a well-defined proposal budget.

On-line Training Material:

RAMSeS / Proposal and Award Dashboards

RAMSeS, the Research Administration Management System & eSubmissions, is the University's tool for sponsored programs record keeping.  Through this system, users prepare proposal submission documents using the electronic Internal Processing Form (eIPF), route the eIPF for internal approval, and track award information.  In this class, learn how to interface with the system, prepare reports, and track information.  Discover how researchers use the interactive system to certify and track proposal and award data through the Proposal and Award Dashboards. 

On-line Training Materials:

RAMSeS / Reporting Tools:

What is the difference between Awards and Award Projects? Does RAMSeS reporting show all of the proposals and awards for all the PIs on campus? Are there any graphs that show awards by School or Department? Is there a way to search awards by a specific topic (e.g. nanotechnology)? All these questions and more will be answered in the RAMSES Reporting class.

Reporting to Sponsor Agencies: Program Performance Reports, Financial Status Reports, and Notice of Termination Reply

This workshop includes an overview of the types of agency-required reports, including program performance and financial reporting, with a special emphasis on the award close-out process and the completion of an NOTR. If you work with grants, you'll want to attend this informative session and bring your questions to the staff of OSR's Financial Reporting.  For more information regarding NOTR Electronic Submission Process in RAMSeS website.

On-line Training Materials:

Utilizing the eRA Commons to Manage NIH Grants

Combining the previous classes "Working in eRA Commons" and "Preparing JIT and eSNAP Through the eRA Commons", this course targets Research Administrators responsible for working with NIH grants who want to learn more about available features and working with your PI to manage information and reporting requirements.  Particular emphasis is placed on the preparation of eSNAP reports covering the Science and Business as well as the routing procedures before submission to NIH.  To participate in the workshop, you must register with the eRA Commons.

On-line Training Materials:

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Registration Information 

If you are interested in attending any of these programs, you may register online.  If the class is full, please contact Phyllis Daugherty, 843-2609, phyllis_daugherty@unc.edu indicating which class you are interested and the date, and you will be added to a waiting list.

UNC-CH Event Registration

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Links to Learning Resources

Carolina Calendar also lists training available though OSR and the other Research Offices.

Finance Division Training Classes: Instructor-based training available in FRS, StARS, On-line Check request; computer-based training available in UNC-CH Financial Resources, Introduction to UNC-CH Accounting, UNC_CH Funds Management.

NCURA Fundamentals Reference Website: The National Council of University Research Administrators provides resources from their curriculum in sponsored project administration. These materials give you with up-to-date information on these critical areas of research administration:

Research Administrators Support (RASG): RASG holds quarterly forums that promote open communication and discussion among researchers, research administrators and support personnel, and central University research administrators.

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