Research Challenges and Opportunities - A Dean's View

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Research Challenges and Opportunities - A Dean's
View

• Sarah A. Rajala
• NC State Research Retreat
• February 23-24, 2006

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Research Vision

• Have we decided where we want to go?
• Do we need a common vision?
• If so, how do we ensure we have a shared
  commitment to this common vision?

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University Strategic Plan

• What role does research play?
• Are the core strategies consistent with achieving
  the research vision?

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Research Strategic Plan

• Should we have a plan to support a research
  vision?
• Have we identified specific goals?
• Do we know how to achieve these goals?
• Are their hurdles that need to be overcome?

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Possible Research Goals

• Increase in research funding per faculty member
• Increase in number of faculty active in research
• Increase in the number of PhD graduates per
  faculty
• Increase in federal research expenditures

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Possible Strategies

• Strategic investment
• Focused areas
• Key research infrastructure
• Key faculty hires
• Quality vs. quantity in proposal submissions
• Collaborative research teams

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Possible Strategies 2

• Faculty Investments
• New hires
• Start-up packages
• Equipment single user or shared
• Space
• Junior vs senior

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Possible Strategies 3

• Faculty retention
• Space
• Infrastructure upgrades
• Endowed positions/named professorships
• Bridge funding

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Possible Strategies 4

• Disengaged faculty
• Incentives
• Sabbaticals
• Infrastructure upgrades
• Teaming opportunities

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Possible Strategies 5

• Cost sharing
• Required
• Opportunity investments
• Role of Foundation support

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Possible Strategies 6

• Staff support
• Pre-award
• Budgets
• Proposal development
• Submissions
• Post-award
• Technical staff

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Possible Strategies 7

• Graduate programs
• Enrollment planning
• Number of students
• MS vs. Ph.D.
• TA support
• Stipends
• GSSP/Tuition Remission

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Other Issues

• Role of Centennial Campus
• Decreasing and/or changing funding opportunities
• Impact of shortened delivery cycle by DoD
• Review at 15 months - go or no go
• Anti-university bias among some agencies
• Cost of rental facilities
• Faculty overload

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Summary

• To ensure success we must know where we are going
• To ensure success we must have broad buy-in
• Once we know where we want to go, we must define
  how we want to get there
• Some strategies may be common, others will be
  unique