Research Office to Debut RazorGrant Upgrades

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – As part of the continuous improvement efforts within the Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Economic Development’s office, RazorGrant, the University of Arkansas’ research administration system, is undergoing its first major upgrade since its initial implementation in the summer of 2012.

Several phases of system improvements will be staged to enable users to become proficient with major elements of the changes in RazorGrant before additional elements are introduced. 

“By using this process, we hope to both make the transition easier for RazorGrant users and to refine each element before moving forward,” said Jennifer Taylor, assistant vice provost for research and sponsored programs.

The first phase of system improvements will start July 5. On that day RazorGrant users will notice significant differences in the user interface, which has been re-designed to be more user-friendly and also provide increased functionality. The interface also provides users a look and feel that is distinctly the U of A.

Some of the functionality improvements that department and college-level users will notice include:

• Automatic email notifications within the system
• An action list for all users to easily determine their tasks
• Quicker and easier routing of proposals
• Investigators can complete their proposal specific compliance questions during routing

In addition to these enhancements, new functionality and procedural process will be introduced.

First, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs has scheduled multiple one-hour demonstrations over the coming weeks at various campus locations. 

Second, the office has scheduled “office hours” on a drop-in basis for July 8 and July 15 in the Administration Building, Room 206, to assist with hands-on proposal preparation for those submitting proposals in the coming weeks. 

Finally, the office has revised training modules with videos available online in the coming weeks.

More information can be found at the RSSP website and on the office’s distribution list page.