Proposal Development Status Update

InfoEd Proposal Development (PD) is a tool that will assist in the preparation, routing, and submission of proposals for sponsored research. It is a complement to Proposal Tracking (PT), the module we successfully rolled out to the central research offices in July.

Our original plan was to implement PD in a phased rollout to PI’s and administrators from October 2007 through May 2008. During testing this summer, however, we discovered issues with the software that merit further testing and analysis.

Therefore, the Enterprise Systems Executive Committee (ESEC), after considering input from Project Café and our business owners in the Office for Sponsored Research, has decided to modify the scope and delay the timing of the PD rollout as follows:

  • Implement distributed access to PT View and standard Cognos reports to the research community
  • Create a limited number of proposals in PD and submit them to Grants.gov for the February 2008 NIH deadline
  • Perform an assessment after the February NIH submission to evaluate lessons learned and determine the feasibility of increasing the number of departments to continue the soft rollout through the balance of the fiscal year 
  • Establish a revised plan and timeline during FY2008 for the full Proposal Development rollout commencing in FY2009, after the PeopleSoft implementation

This approach will enable us to sustain momentum and build on the knowledge we've gained to date in the use and implementation of PD.

Proposal Development is strategically still a priority and will have, as ESEC noted in the decision memo, a “transformative impact on how Northwestern PI’s and support staff develop and submit research proposals.”

 If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to email projectcafe@northwestern.edu.

 

Read the full text of the ESEC memo (PDF)