Skip to main content

Online Training: Curriculum Guide

Curriculum Guide

Introduction to Research Administration at Northwestern is a five-part curriculum that includes online presentations, online courses, and webinars (live/recorded).

  • Part 1: Introduction to Office for Research & Related Offices
  • Part 2: Introduction to Office for Research & Related Offices (continued)
  • Part 3: Research-Related Resources
  • Part 4: Basics of Sponsored Research Administration
  • Part 5: Basics of Sponsored Research Administration (continued)

The training should be completed at your own pace. The “duration” information below indicates the time necessary to complete each learning activity. You do not need to complete each learning activity in one sitting, because your progress is “bookmarked” so that you can exit/close it and then resume it later. You are not required to complete the learning activities in the exact order presented, however, it is strongly recommended.

If your manager or department requires you to complete this training, please coordinate with your manager to plan a target date for completion. The total time required to complete this curriculum is approximately 14 hours.

Part 1:Introduction to Office for Research & Related Offices – 2 hours
Title Duration (minutes) Related Information and Resources
Welcome from Milan Mrksich, Vice President for Research (Sept 2020) 4 Office for Research
Office for Research: An Overview (Sept 2020) 15 Research Offices
Research Roles
Introduction to Northwestern Sponsored Research office (Feb 2021) 15 Sponsored Research
Office of Research Development (Sept 2020) 11 Office of Research Development
Office of Foundation Relations (Sept 2020) 10 Office of Foundation Relations
Partnering With Companies: Corporate Engagement 101 (Sept 2020) 37 Corporate Engagement
Sponsored Research: Working With Industry (Sept 2020) 15 Sponsored Research: Engaging Industry
Innovation & New Ventures at Northwestern (Sept 2020) 15 Innovation and New Ventures Office
Part 2: Introduction to Office for Research & Related Offices (continued) – 2.5 hours
Title Duration
(minutes)
Related Information and Resources
Conflict of Interest / Commitment (Sept 2020) 30 Conflict of Interest Office
Export Controls and International Compliance  (April 2023) 8 Export Controls Compliance
Institutional Review Board (IRB) (Sept 2020) 23 Institutional Review Board (IRB) Office
Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) (Sept 2020) 10 Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) Office
Center for Comparative Medicine (CCM) (Sept 2020) 18 Center for Comparative Medicine
Core Facilities Administration (Sept 2020) 19 Core Facilities Administration
Research Safety (Sept 2020) 10 Research Safety
Research Misconduct & Compliance (Sept 2020) 10 Research Integrity
Part 3: Research-Related Resources – 1 hour
Title Duration
(minutes)
Related Information and Resources
Cybersecurity (Sept 2020) 6 Secure IT at Northwestern
Research Portal (Sept 2020) 18 Northwestern Research Portal
Data Management & Repository Services (Sept 2020) 9 Data Management: Getting Started
NUCATS: Northwestern University Clinical & Translational Sciences Institute (Sept 2020) 7 NUCATS
NURAP: Northwestern University Research Administration Professionals (Sept 2020) 9 NURAP
Part 4: Basics of Sponsored Research Administration – 5.5 hours

Note: For each course in Part 4, allow an additional 10 – 15 minutes to complete quiz questions and exercises.

Title Duration (minutes) Related Information and Resources
SPOT 1: Introduction to Sponsored Research 32 Visit Sponsored Research for additional information, training, and resources related to all of the SPOT courses.
SPOT 2: A Beginner’s Guide to Sponsored Project Solicitations 21
SPOT: Proposal Development and Submission 28
SPOT 4: Financial Management Basics: Projections and Reconciliations 22
SPOT 5: Proposal Budgets 101 30
SPOT 6: Proposal Budgets 102 27
SPOT 7: How to Read an Award Document 22
SPOT 8: Setting Up an Award 24
SPOT 9: Award Closeout: Basics 17
Part 5: Basics of Sponsored Research Administration (continued) – 3 hours
Title
Duration
(minutes)
Related Information and Resources
ASRSP Research Accounting (Sept 2020) 52 Additional Training
Cost Studies: Cost Principles,
Facilities & Administrative Rate,
Recharge Centers & Program Income (Sept 2020)
46 Additional Training
Faculty Salary Planning (Sept 2020) 39 Summer Salary Forms
Salary Planning & Academic Base Salary Worksheets
Cost Studies: Cost Transfers (Journals),
Compensation (Sept 2020)
41 Additional Training