 |
|
|
 |
Electronic
Research Administration
(ERA), in
the generic sense of data management, template use, and
communication, has been a reality for years. However, in
the past couple of years, with the onslaught of the
internet and the world wide web, ERA
has changed from simply a way to make the job of the
research administrator easier, to a whole new culture for
research and research administration as a whole. Less
than two years ago, the first pioneering research
administration offices were creating their web sites and
the ERA Demonstration Project
was just beginning. Today, most offices can no longer
live without the web as simple means of disseminating
information and NewERA
is already testing electronic data interchange (EDI)
standards.
What does the future hold? Any researcher, their staff, and central administration may be able to access all facets of the administrative side of research from any terminal (computer, web t.v., whatever!) with an internet connection. PIs will learn about funding opportunities (e-mail, web notification), transfer that information to a grant proposal, submit it electronically (EDI or HTML), with all the compliance issues covered in the background. The funding agencies receive the proposal, it is automatically entered into their management systems, and routed to the reviewers, ultimately reducing the time from proposal to funding. NSF's Fastlane already accomplishes several of these tasks. NIH has some incredible ideas and projects in the making (e.g., Edison, E-SNAP, Form 2271).ONR is not only testing EFT, but actually doing it. The reality of ERA and all it encompasses is not that far off in the future. Last updated April 27, 1999
|