USU Research Administration Training

The Office of Research at Utah State University is launching a comprehensive training initiative for research administrators. This program includes full access to the Society of Research Administrators International (SRAI) LevelUP micro-credentialing modules, along with USU-specific training available through LearnBlue.

Together, these resources provide a robust foundation in research administration, combining nationally recognized best practices with guidance tailored to USU’s internal systems and procedures. While certain portions of the training are mandatory for specific employee groups, the full suite of modules is available to anyone at USU who wishes to enhance their knowledge of research administration. Required participants include:

• Staff in the Sponsored Programs Office (SPO)
• Staff in Sponsored Programs Accounting (SPA
• Business Services employees who manage or support sponsored program funding
• Proposal Development Specialists (PDS)

If you need access to the trainings through SRAI, please email Amber Buatte at amber.buatte@usu.edu.

The table below outlines the available modules and identifies the requirements for the participants identified above:

Training Title	SPO	SPA	Business Services	PDS
SRAI Research Compliance Frameworks	Required	Required	Required	Required
USU Research Compliance Frameworks	Required	Required	Required	Required
SRAI Relationships, Roles, and Responsibilities in Research Administration	Required	Required	Required	Required
USU Relationships, Roles, and Responsibilities in Research Administration	Required	Required	Required	Required
SRAI Principles in Research Development	Required	Optional	Optional	Required
SRAI Principles in Proposal Development	Required	Required	Required - but not the assessment	Required
USU Principles in Proposal Development	Required	Required	Required	Required
SRAI Principles in Pre-Award Research Administration	Required	Required	Required	Required
USU Principles in Pre-Award Research Administration	Required	Required	Required	Required
SRAI Principles of Award Negotiation and Set-up	Required	Optional	Optional	Optional
SRAI Principles of Post-Award Financial Research Administration	Required	Required	Required	Optional
USU Principles of Post-Award Financial Research Administration	Required	Required	Required	Optional
SRAI Principles of Post-Award Non-Financial Research Administration	Required	Required	Required	Optional
USU Principles of Post-Award Non-Financial Research Administration	Required	Required	Required	Optional
SRAI Cost Transfer Essentials	Required	Required	Required	Optional
USU Cost Transfer Essentials	Required	Required	Required	Optional
SRAI FAR Fundamentals: Essential Knowledge for Research Administrators	Required	Required	Optional	Optional
SRAI FFATA unfolded: Mastering Transparency in Federal Funding	Optional	Optional	Optional	Optional
SRAI CMMC and the Research Administrator	Optional	Optional	Optional	Optional
SRAI NIH R Series	Optional	Optional	Optional	Optional
SRAI NIH RPPR	Optional	Optional	Optional	Optional
SRAI NSF Research Proposal	Optional	Optional	Optional	Optional
SRAI NSF CAREER Proposal	Optional	Optional	Optional	Optional

 

Each SRAI LevelUP module takes approximately 2 to 5 hours to complete and concludes with a comprehensive 50-question exam designed to assess understanding of key concepts in research administration. For employees in roles where the training is required, successful completion of the exam is mandatory.

It is strongly recommended to complete the training modules in the order outlined in the table above, as many modules build upon concepts introduced in earlier ones. Following the suggested sequence will help ensure a smoother learning experience and better understanding of the material.