SCIENCE

Indiana University has debuted a new gateway Web site focused on university research and creative activities that provides faculty on all IU campuses with streamlined, one-stop access to research-related services and resources.

Designed to empower IU faculty and connect them with the tools they need to expedite and enhance their work, the Research Gateway (research.iu.edu) includes comprehensive information on internal and external funding opportunities, research proposal development, grants administration, compliance, workshops and training, and links to research offices on IU campuses throughout the state.

"The Research Gateway brings together in one location resources that have been widely spread across many university Web sites," said Jorge José, IU vice president for research. "This site will make it easier for people to find the information and help they need as they pursue research and creative activities."

IU faculty members have voiced a need for a clearly organized, task-oriented site offering assistance with research and creative activities, a concern the Research Gateway addresses. In addition to information about funding, the Gateway offers primers on proposal preparation and research conduct; up-to-date statements on regulations, policies and procedures; a comprehensive index of research staff; and a convenient opt-in page for e-mail newsletters and announcements about funding opportunities and other research-related information.

The Research Gateway was launched following nearly a year of discussion, development and focus groups with IU faculty and staff. Representatives of the Office of the Vice President for Research, the Office of Research Administration, the IU Bloomington Office of the Associate Vice President and Vice Provost for Research, the IUPUI Office of the Associate Vice President and Vice Chancellor for Research, and the IU School of Medicine collaborated to design, test and implement the site. As faculty and staff begin using the site, additional development will take place to continue to improve the ease and efficiency with which IU faculty can gain information about and assistance with their research.

The Research Gateway is the first step in a larger project to update and integrate Web sites for offices and programs within the vice president for research's portfolio. Another important initiative in this process is the implementation of the Kuali Coeus Research Administration System, which will make proposal submission, administration and research compliance easier for faculty and staff. Phase I of Kuali Coeus will begin July 1, 2011, making Indiana University among the first research universities to implement this open-source system that fully addresses the needs of faculty researchers, grants administration staff and federal funding agencies.