Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs) are known to be resourceful, and Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) is no exception. In a recent webinar, Hilliary Creely (Associate Dean for Research) and Bethany Jackson (Systems Manager) shared their best practices for using InfoReady in a variety of ways in a recent Peer Spotlight Webinar.
As Hilliary noted, “For us, InfoReady is one tool with many, many uses. At PUIs, we have to be super creative. We don’t have a huge budget to support the research infrastructure, and we needed to find one tool that we could use in many different ways.”
Here are IUP’s tips for maximizing the use of InfoReady throughout research operations:
Limited Submissions
- Drive traffic to InfoReady using direct links to competitions in all communication
- Be clear and concise in the announcement to make the application process as smooth as possible.
- Utilize the Directory Look-up feature to search for and assign internal reviewers with ease.
Student Research Support
- Route all funding opportunities through InfoReady for increased consistency and to generate greater awareness of opportunities among a constituency that may be unfamiliar with research operations.
- Include as much of the routing process as possible to eliminate lost applications and the paper shuffle (and reduce tears).
Annual Research Symposia
- Combine event registration and project submissions into one application form, which can then be reviewed by faculty members (for content) and event organizers (for logistics.)
- Begin with the end in mind when requesting information. Collect data upfront in order to help with event details, like advisor information and presentation slides.
- Use progress reports to collect final project details and any follow up information. Fields filled out in the system will show in easy-to-extract reports.
- Supplement existing reporting requirements and processes with data from InfoReady, such as faculty tenure and promotion, annual reports, and external grant submissions.
