Transforming UAlbany's Division for Research & Economic Development

About the Transformation Initiative 

As a Carnegie-classified Research-1 (R1) institution, the University at Albany is one of the top universities in the nation with very high research activity. 

To maintain and grow our research activity, UAlbany is committed to transforming the Division for Research & Economic Development, with a particular focus on: 

  • Investing in R1-level research infrastructure
  • Increasing our federal funding
  • Hiring new faculty members 

The Division is seeking feedback from the entire UAlbany community during this process. Thank you for your engagement in this important effort to transform UAlbany’s research infrastructure!
 

Submit Feedback & Ideas to the Division
Explore the Catalyst 2030 Initiative
Explore Digital Transformation Projects

 

A smiling researcher in safety googles, gloves and jacket uses a device to prepare samples for research.


 

Catalyst 2030: Next Major Steps to Grow UAlbany’s Research Enterprise

The Division for Research & Economic Development’s Catalyst 2030 initiative aims to significantly grow organized research and diversify funding sources.

Catalyst 2030 will adopt a multi-pronged approach, including: 
 

catalyst-2030
Seeding high-impact research
Seeding high-impact research

UAlbany aims to provide much-needed seed funding to initiate new, interdisciplinary research. All scholarship has impact, and impact can mean different things across disciplines.  

UAlbany is exploring various ways to measure impact clearly and equitably, including:

  • Public impact
  • Revenue diversification
  • Interdisciplinary collaboration
  • National priority alignment
  • Industry partnerships
  • Grand challenges 
Recruiting top talent
Recruiting top talent

UAlbany aims to rapidly infuse the University with high caliber research talent, jump-starting new research themes. The institution is:

  • Building a recruitment model for postdocs and research scientists with proven early successes
  • Developing mentorship expectations and pathways toward sustainability
  • Position researchers for sustained success beyond recruitment
Building interdisciplinary centers
Building interdisciplinary centers

UAlbany intends to build the capacity and infrastructure required to compete for large-scale, multi-investigator center grants, such as:

  • National Science Foundation (NSF) Science and Technology Centers
  • NSF Engineering Research Centers (ERCs)
  • NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSECs)
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH) P-series grants
  • U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs)
  • U.S. Department of War (DOW) University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs)
  • DOW Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI)

To support those efforts, the University is planning for:

  • Center readiness
  • Cross-college participation
  • Milestone expectations
  • Industry integration 
Strengthening entrepreneurship and industry engagement
Strengthening entrepreneurship and industry engagement

UAlbany seeks to support the operations and infrastructure required to bridge academic research and commercial market viability. That work will involve:

  • Strengthening industry partnerships
  • Supporting commercialization pathways
  • Expanding research-to-market activities
  • Ensuring faculty members benefit meaningfully from industry engagement

 

Digital Transformation Projects

The Office of Strategic Initiatives (OSI) and Information Technology Services (ITS) oversee a range of Digital Transformation Projects (DTPs) designed to enhance UAlbany’s research administration.  

These initiatives aim to streamline workflows, reduce manual effort, and improve transparency and efficiency across various research and administrative processes.

If you have feedback or questions related to an OSI-managed project, please contact Business Analyst Aidai Kokonova at [email protected].

 

Ongoing Projects

Explore this embedded report to learn about our active projects, priorities and progress. Double click on a specific project to access detailed information.
 

projects

 

Completed Projects

As part of our commitment to transparency and continuous improvement, we also maintain a growing list of completed projects that have already been implemented across the research enterprise.  

These projects highlight successful efforts to modernize administrative processes and deliver lasting operational improvements. 
 

Office of Technology Transfer projects
Office of Technology Transfer projects
Mutual Confidential Disclosure Agreements (MCDAs)

This project automates the review and signing of Mutual Confidential Disclosure Agreements (MCDAs) through a digital workflow managed by the Office of Technology Transfer. It reduces administrative effort while supporting secure sharing of proprietary or confidential information with external partners. 
 

Uniform Biological Material Transfer Agreements (UBMTAs)

This project automates the review and signing of Uniform Biological Material Transfer Agreements (UBMTAs) through a digital workflow managed by the Office of Technology Transfer. It streamlines the process, reduces manual effort and supports secure sharing of research materials with external partners. 
 

Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs)

This project automates the review and signing of Material Transfer Agreements (MTAs) through a digital workflow managed by the Office of Technology Transfer. It streamlines the process, reduces manual effort and supports secure sharing of research materials with external partners. 

Research Foundation Human Resources (RFHR) projects
Research Foundation Human Resources (RFHR) projects
H-1B Requests

Managed by RFHR, this project automates the internal review and approval of H-1B requests for employees. The digital workflow streamlines internal steps and reduces manual effort, improving efficiency without covering United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) or external legal review.  
 

Employee Appointment Requests

This RFHR project automates the onboarding process with a digital form for supervisors to initiate new hire or rehire appointments. The workflow collects required documentation and approvals, improving the experience for employees and the RFHR team.  

This is a Beta version, which is currently used by all non-sponsored account transactions within the division. A new JotForm project is underway to implement campus-wide solutions. Please refer to the ongoing “RFHR: JotForm Old Forms Update” project for more information. 
 

Offer Letter Requests

This RFHR project automates the creation, completion, review and signing of employee offer letters. Using standard approved language, the digital workflow streamlines communication and reduces manual effort in compiling and finalizing letters.  

This is a Beta version, which is currently used by all non-sponsored account transactions within the division. A new JotForm project is underway to implement campus-wide solutions. Please refer to the ongoing “RFHR: JotForm Old Forms Update” project for more information. 
 

Employee Leave Requests

This RFHR project automates submission of employee leave requests through a digital form with pre-filled fields. It replaces the manual PDF workflow, simplifying completion and submission while reducing administrative work.  

This is a Beta version, which is currently used by all non-sponsored account transactions within the division. 
 

Change Form Requests

This RFHR project automates one of the highest volume transactions in the office, allowing employees to submit requests for employment changes, such as full-time employee (FTE) adjustments, salary updates or status changes. The workflow simplifies review, editing and approval while reducing manual effort.

This is a Beta version, which is currently used by all non-sponsored account transactions within the division. A new JotForm project is underway to implement campus-wide solutions. Please refer to the ongoing “RFHR: JotForm Old Forms Update” project for more information. 
 

Search Waiver Requests (Phase 1)

The RFHR Search Waiver Request Form was created to automate the process of requesting a search waiver and subsequent approval workflow.  

The phased approach will be applied to this project, where Phase 1 focuses on building the intake form and a simple workflow, while Phase 2 enhances the workflow by adding all necessary approval scenarios.

Please refer to the ongoing “RFHR: Search Waiver Request Form (Phase 2)” project for more information. 
 

Search Requisition Requests

The RFHR Search Requisition Form was created to replace multiple existing forms — such as the Announcement of Vacancy, Job Description, Search Plan and others — consolidating them into one streamlined form. The workflow includes all necessary approval scenarios and does not need a phased approach. 

Office of Vice President for Research & Economic Development projects
Office of Vice President for Research & Economic Development projects
Application to Establish a New Organized Research Unit (ORU) (Phase 1)

This project, managed by the Division for Research and Economic Development under the leadership of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development, automates the processes for establishing a new Organized Research Unit (ORU) at UAlbany.

The project delivers a convenient form and streamlines steps such as reviews and approvals, improving transparency and efficiency in ORU oversight. 
 

Letter of Intent (LOI) to Establish an Organized Research Unit (ORU)

This project, managed by the Division for Research and Economic Development under the leadership of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development, automates the processes for submitting a Letter of Intent (LOI) to establish an Organized Research Unit (ORU) at UAlbany.  

It provides a concise form with the required notifications to simplify tracking of upcoming ORUs and increase efficiency in ORU oversight. 
 

Request for Provisional Approval of Organized Research Unit (ORU) (Phase 1)

This project, managed by the Division for Research and Economic Development under the leadership of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development, automates the processes for one-year provisional approval for a new Organized Research Unit (ORU) at UAlbany.  

The project delivers a convenient form and streamlines steps such as reviews and approvals, improving transparency and efficiency in ORU oversight. 
 

Application to Change Organized Research Unit (ORU) (Phase 1)

This project, managed by the Division for Research and Economic Development under the leadership of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development, automates the processes for changing an existing Organized Research Unit’s (ORU’s) name, status or mission at UAlbany.

The project delivers a convenient form and streamlines steps such as reviews and approvals, improving transparency and efficiency in ORU oversight. 

Sponsored Program Administration projects
Sponsored Program Administration projects
Great Dane Mart: Research Cart

Powered by Jaggaer, Great Dane Mart: Research Cart is a streamlined platform for purchasing funded by the Research Foundation at UAlbany. It replaces the Purchase Requisition Order Form, integrates vendor catalogs, automates workflows for faster approvals, and enables real-time tracking of requisitions and orders. 

Division-wide, cross-unit projects
Division-wide, cross-unit projects
AI Contract Review Tool: Pincites

Pincites is an artificial intelligence (AI) contract review tool provided by the SUNY Research Foundation Central Office to support contract review and negotiation.  

The platform integrates with Microsoft Word and uses AI to analyze agreements, identify risks and suggest edits based on institutional guidelines. It also helps streamline contract review, improve consistency and accelerate the negotiation process for research and technology-related agreements.

The tool could be used by the Sponsored Program Administration (SPA), the Office of Regulatory & Research Compliance (ORRC) and the Office of Technology Transfer at UAlbany.