General Article
Research takes funding, and coordinating the submission of proposals to lure scientific dollars is the bread-and-butter business of more than 250 Fred Hutchinson support staff. The work often involves navigating a minefield of deadlines, regulatory details and complex processes for which many staff members have never been formally trained.
"When you're hired to support scientists, how do you do it? If someone wants you to put together an NIH application and you've never done it before, it's daunting," said Bregeita "Bre" Jefferson, manager of operations and support for Grant and Contract Administration. "It can be sink or swim, and you're handed a rock!"
In an effort to address these knowledge gaps, a new training program on research administration is under way at the center. Though geared toward research administrators, the first-ever courses are open to all staff.
Many new employees have big-picture questions, says Jefferson. What's the definition of a grant? What's a contract? What's an Attachment A? What do you mean by sign-off?
"Now, all of that is written down so you can go into the classroom environment for four hours and also receive a comprehensive manual and a CD-ROM reference," she said.
The first session of the initial six-class series took place on March 3. Additional introductory classes are currently full with a waiting list, but Jefferson's team is working to find more classroom space by the end of April so extra sessions can be scheduled.
"We know there's a waiting list, and we're working to get additional meeting space," Jefferson said. "It's a priority because the numbers represent the need."
Initial feedback has been overwhelming positive. "The resounding response we've heard is, 'Had I gotten this when I first came on board, it would have saved me so much stress and made my time here so much better,'" Jefferson said.
Long-time employees can benefit, too. "The center is so fluid; what you think you know, you may not know," she said. "We understand that there are staff who have been here for years who already know how to put an application through sign-off. But we're asking the senior people to come and tell us how we can help them get information."
An online version of the program will be available in June. With the Web-based option, employees who may be well-versed in grant and contract basics can learn about specific topics. "You may know about getting things through sign-off, but maybe you've never put together a sub-award before. You'll be able to go through the online course and just pull out that information," Jefferson said.
Program instructors include Cynthia Lysen, a former educator who has worked as both a research administrator and a grant and contract specialist, and Jacqueline Livingston, a former training manager and a grant and contract specialist. Michael Nguyen is assisting with the integration of course materials and new software technologies for the online courses. All are members of Grant and Contract Administration.
Employees can register for classes online by visiting the Grant and Contract Web site at centernet.fhcrc.org/CN/depts/osr/rat.
