Basics for Departmental Research Administrators (BDRA)

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Series Summary

BDRA is designed to provide guidance to department administrators and Hub personnel in the basic functions of proposal submission and financial project management in support of faculty seeking and managing funded projects. The content may also be of interest to faculty and chairs, as it provides important information regarding ECU’s sponsored program processes, resources, tools and systems. The sessions involve both asynchronous “self-study” portions and virtual classroom instruction.

These sessions are intended to be entry-level and do not have prerequisites. However, for those individuals engaged in supporting charging to sponsored programs, effort review, and/or proposal submission, it is highly recommended that the following are in place prior to taking this training as applicable to their ECU role.

Access to Banner
eTRACS training/Assigned role in eTRACS
Chrome River training/Assigned role in Chrome River

Although not required, a basic understanding of departmental operations will enable participants to understand the material more fully as the course materials focus on the impact of sponsored project issues on those operations.

Required Training

Some personnel may be required to complete the BDRA series due to the extent of their responsibility for administering sponsored projects. Personnel who manage 5 or more sponsored projects or at least $100,000 of active awards should complete the BDRA within one year of becoming eligible. See – Required Training for Departmental Administrators.

These personnel will be notified individually and can use the links below to access each element within the series.

In limited circumstances, personnel who will not be managing sponsored projects on an ongoing basis can be exempted from this training. See – Training Requirement Waiver Request.

Additional Training

Some personnel may also be required to complete the Chrome River Approvers training, if they are tasked with approving charges made through Chrome River. These personnel will be notified individually and can use the resources found in the Chrome River Approvers training table below.

Session Title	Description
BDRA01 - Introduction to Research Administration	An online self-study with an assessment - which provides an initial orientation to research administration.
	BDRA01 - Cornerstone Registration BDRA01 Slides BDRA01 Links Page
BDRA02 - Research Administration Offices & Resources	An online self-study with an assessment - which provides an overview of ECU units and technologies which support research administration .
	BDRA02 - Cornerstone Registration BDRA02 Slides BDRA02 Links Page
BDRA03 - Spending on Sponsored Projects	An online self-study with an assessment – which explores the fundamentals of charging costs to sponsored projects.
	BDRA03 - Cornerstone Registration BDRA03 Slides BDRA03 Links Page
BDRA-FF – Finding Funding	An online self-study with an assessment and a class session with case studies – which provides an orientation to funding databases, sponsor websites, interpreting program announcements.
	Available Spring 2023
BDRA-PB – Proposal Budgeting	An online self-study with an assessment and a class session with case studies – which provides an overview of key proposal budgeting concepts.
	Available Spring 2023
BDRA-RS – Routing & Submitting Proposals	An online self-study with an assessment and a class session with case studies – which provides an orientation to the process of routing proposals within ECU and submission of proposals to sponsors.
	Available Spring 2023
BDRA-PA - Other Preaward Topics	An online self-study with an assessment and a class session with case studies – which provides an overview of additional preaward issues including conflict of interest, F&A questions, research subjects, etc.
	Available Spring 2023
BDRA-AS1 - Award Setup (Part 1)	An online self-study with an assessment and a class session with case studies – which provides an orientation to the award setup process, the Notice of Award, and pre-award spending.
	BDRA-AS1 - Cornerstone Registration BDRA-AS1 Slides BDRA-AS1 Links Page
BDRA-AS2 - Award Setup (Part 2)	An online self-study with an assessment and a class session with case studies – which provides an orientation to the award setup process, the Notice of Award, and pre-award spending.
	BDRA-AS2 - Cornerstone Registration BDRA-AS2 Slides BDRA-AS2 Links Page
BDRA-MP1 – Manage Project (Part 1)	An online self-study with an assessment and a class session with case studies – which provides an overview of financial management tools, the monthly reconciliation process, and making financial adjustments to funded projects.
	BDRA-MP1 - Cornerstone Registration BDRA-MP1 Slides BDRA-MP1 Links Page
BDRA-MP2 – Manage Project (Part 2)	An online self-study with an assessment and a class session with case studies – which provides an overview of financial forecasting, dealing with special circumstances, and preparing for closeout.
	BDRA-MP2 - Cornerstone Registration BDRA-MP2 Slides BDRA-MP2 Links Page
BDRA-CO - Closeout	An online self-study with an assessment and a class session with case studies – which summarized the process of achieving a clean closeout of sponsored projects.
	Available Spring 2023
BDRA-EC – Effort & Effort Certification	An online self-study with an assessment and a class session with case studies – which provides an overview of committing and certifying effort on sponsored projects.
	BDRA-EC - Cornerstone Registration BDRA-Effort Slides BDRA-Effort Links Page

Session Title	Description
Chrome River Approvers Training	An online self-study with an assessment - which provides an introduction to approving charges for sponsored programs for Chrome River approvers.
	Chrome River Approvers Training - Cornerstone Registration Chrome River Approvers Slides