The Granting Agency of the Future

Summary

Project started on Dec. 1, 2001 (Completed)

None

From its modest beginning in the late 1940s, the publicly supported research enterprise has grown, matured, and evolved into a $112-billion endeavor involving thousands of organizations and investigators representing every scientific discipline and field of knowledge. More than 20 agencies contribute to federal investments in research and development in the form of grants for basic and applied research, development, and supporting equipment and facilities. 

This project examined the challenges facing the researchenterprise with an eye toward uncovering an ideal future. The project report presents an agenda for achieving the ideal future and includes a set of action items for participants of the research enterprise.

With funding and cooperation from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, CTG conducted interviews, focus groups, and a national workshop with investigators, funding agencies, research administrators, and political leaders.

The project report, "Finding Our Future: A Research Agenda for the Research Enterprise," offers a vision of the ideal research enterprise and lays out a supporting research and action agenda to help achieve it. The report emphasizes the need to understand and manage complexity, risk, and diversity; to harness rapid technological change; and to respond to an ever-changing array of relationships and expectations.

Scope of Work

The purpose of this project is to re-envision the government organizations that award research grants, and to explore ways to support their transformation into the future. The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will be co-lead government participants. The lead research partner will be the Center for Technology in Government at the University at Albany/SUNY. These three organizations will investigate the challenges facing the research enterprise in order to lay the groundwork for a subsequent workshop on this topic. The workshop will involve federal grants-making organizations and researchers from a variety of fields.

The plan of work includes 5 phases:

Preliminary interviews. Interviews will be conducted with a variety of individuals with varying relationships with granting organizations in order to understand the various perspectives that are part of the research enterprise.

An internal NSF workshop to define the characteristics of an ideal proposal and grants management process. We will then compare that ideal process to the current one and identify obvious points for process change, challenges for the organization, policy issues, and preliminary ideas about the use of new technology. The workshop should also serve to reveal the important differences among programs, divisions, and directorates, as well as the kind and amount of interaction and knowledge sharing that is desirable.

Best and current practice research will be carried out in parallel with the interviews and first workshop. CTG researchers will investigate the grants management processes used in other organizations. These will include other federal agencies, private sector organizations that support very large R&D operations, and nonprofit grant-making organizations.

An external workshop will include the NSF participants from the first workshop, plus an invited list of experts in the technologies, topics, and issues that emerged as important in the first workshop and the best practice review. This workshop will focus on discussion of the similarities and differences in experiences among agencies. We will identify ways in which emerging and advanced technologies, organizational practices, and policies can be applied to achieve the ideal process. This will include actions that can be taken now as well as topics that require new research.

The final workshop report will summarize the context, issues, and results of the project.

Press Releases & News Stories

Press Release

Publications & Results

Report

Partners

Lead Partners

Academic Partners

  • Giri  Tayi, Professor, Department of Management Science and Information Systems, School of Business, University at Albany, SUNY

Center for Technology in Government

  • Anthony Cresswell, Co-Principal Investigator
  • Sharon Dawes, Principal Investigator
  • Theresa Pardo, Co-Principal Investigator
  • Fiona Thompson, Research Associate

Participants

  • Mark Adkins, Center for Management of Information, University of Arizona
  • Carol Alderson, Grants Policy Office, NIH
  • Jennifer Barron, University Research Projects Administration, Johns Hopkins University
  • Teresa Behrens, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
  • L. Vaughn Blankenship, Public Administration, University of Illinois at Chicago
  • Eric Block, Chemistry Department, University at Albany, SUNY
  • Scott Borg, Office of Polar Programs, NSF
  • Larry Brandt, Division of Experimental and Integrative Activities, NSF
  • Diane Bronzert, National Cancer Institute, NIH
  • Carolyn Carpenter, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
  • David Carter, Office of the Director, NIH
  • Audrey Champagne, Educational Theory and Practice, University at Albany, SUNY
  • Indushobha Chengalur-Smith, Management Science and Information Systems, University at Albany, SUNY
  • Edward Cherian, Directorate for Math and Physical Sciences, NSF
  • Anthony Coelho, Jr., National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH
  • Megan Columbus, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH
  • Noshir Contractor, Speech Communication and Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • Katharine Covert, Division of Chemistry, NSF
  • Robert Crangle, Rose and Crangle, LTD
  • Jonathon Cummings, Human-Computer Interaction Institute, Carnegie Mellon University
  • Allan Czarra, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH
  • Alan Dennis, Accounting and Information Systems Department, Indiana University
  • Jacqueline DiStefano, University at Albany, SUNY
  • Kim Elliot, Division of Astronomical Sciences, NSF
  • Bud Erickson, National Cancer Institute, NIH
  • Joyce Evans, Division of Elementary, Secondary, and Informal Education, NSF
  • George Fertig, Ford Foundation
  • Richard Foster, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
  • Timothy Gage, Anthropology Department, University at Albany, SUNY
  • David Garver, eGrants Best Practices
  • Geoffrey Grant, Research Administration, Stanford University
  • Mark Green, National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH
  • Irene Grissom, National Center for Research Resources, NIH
  • John Grzechowiak, Division of Grants and Agreements, NSF
  • Marcia Hahn, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Skin Diseases, NIH
  • Charles Havekost, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  • Sharon Hays, U.S. House of Representatives
  • Rona Smyth Henry, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
  • Hortencia Hornbeak, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH
  • Cheryl-Lee Howard, University Research Projects Administration, John Hopkins University
  • Philip Ianna, Division of Astronomical Sciences, NSF
  • Eric Itsweire, Division of Ocean Sciences, NSF
  • Katina Jocktane, Center for Information Technology, NIH
  • Paul Johnson, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH
  • John P. Keating, Chancellor, University of Wisconsin-Parkside
  • Janice Kehn, Purchasing Department, University at Albany, SUNY
  • Bradley Keister, Division of Physics, NSF
  • Susan Kemnitzer, Division of Engineering Education Centers, NSF
  • Elaine Kranich, Ford Foundation
  • Akhil Kumar, Leeds School of Business, University of Colorado at Boulder
  • Kathleen Larmett, National Council of University Research Administrators
  • Robert Long, W. K. Kellogg Foundation
  • Jane Isaacs Lowe, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
  • Gregory Lyman, W. K. Kellogg Foundation
  • Juan Manfredi, Division of Mathematical Sciences, NSF
  • Paul Markowitz, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH
  • Michael Martinez, Division of Research, Evaluation and Communication, NSF
  • Linda Massaro, Office of Information and Resource Management, NSF
  • John J. McGowan, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH
  • Gregory Milman, Office of Innovation and Special Programs, NIH
  • James Momoh, Division of Electrical and Communications Systems, NSF
  • Jeryl Mumpower, Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, University at Albany, SUNY
  • Mary Murphy, Center on English Learning and Achievement, University at Albany, SUNY
  • William Neufeld, Division of Research, Evaluation and Communication, NSF
  • Margy O'Brien, Office of Sponsored Programs, University at Albany, SUNY
  • Robert Osuna, Biological Sciences, University at Albany, SUNY
  • Charles Paoletti, Office of Naval Research
  • Anne Petersen, W. K. Kellogg Foundation
  • Elizabeth Quakenbush, Office of Sponsored Programs, University at Albany, SUNY
  • Florence Rabanal, Directorate for Math and Physical Sciences, NSF
  • Joseph Reed, Division of Educational System Reform, NSF
  • Michael Rothman, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
  • Lillie Ryans-Culclager, Office of Sponsored Research, Stanford University
  • Art Saenz, Division of Information Systems, NSF
  • Mary Santonastasso, Division of Grants and Agreements, NSF
  • Philip Scamihorn, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
  • Walter Schaffer, Research Training Office, NIH
  • Kathryn Schiller, Educational Administration, University at Albany, SUNY
  • Charles Scholes, Chemistry Department, University at Albany, SUNY
  • Albert Shar, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
  • Everett Sinnett, Center for Scientific Review, NIH
  • Gloria Smith, W. K. Kellogg Foundation
  • Scott South, Sociology Department, University at Albany, SUNY
  • Brad Stanford, Office of Naval Research
  • Linda Stechlein, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH
  • Tom Stewart, Center for Policy Research, University at Albany, SUNY
  • Caro-Beth Stewart, Biological Sciences, University at Albany, SUNY
  • Fred Stollnitz, Division of Integrative Biology and Neuroscience, NSF
  • Jerry Stuck, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH
  • Sandra Swab, Office of Management and Budget, Health and Human Services
  • Derrick Tabor, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, NIH
  • Carol Tippery, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, NIH
  • Richard Toth, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
  • Lan Tran, Tangibles Software
  • Sharon Tubay, W. K. Kellogg Foundation
  • Elizabeth VanderPutten, Division of Research, Evaluation and Communications, NSF
  • Kirt Vener, National Cancer Institute, NIH
  • Ali Webb, W. K. Kellogg Foundation
  • Frederic Wendling, Office of Information and Resource Management, NSF
  • Paul Werbos, Division of Electrical and Communications Systems, NSF
  • Francis Wodarczyk, Division of Chemistry, NSF
  • Trudy Wood, Office of Procurement and Assistance Policy, Department of Energy
  • Daniel Wulff, Biological Sciences, University at Albany, SUNY
  • Richard Zitomer, Biological Sciences, University at Albany, SUNY

Funding Sources

This project was funded in part through Grant Number EIA-0109049 from the National Science Foundation.