Support for Researchers
Cultivating Innovation
The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences offers comprehensive support to empower its faculty, staff, students and research teams from idea to impact.
Support
Pre-Award Services (CARES Team)
Navigating the complexities of grant proposals is made easier by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Research Excellence Support (CARES) Pre-Award Team. This dedicated team was formed to strengthen proposal development support for CALS (and LAS, ENG and CHHS in dually administered departments) faculty and staff. Faculty in BBMB, EEOB and STAT departments are served by the LASERS team. Early engagement is strongly encouraged – investigators are advised to involve the CARES or LASERS team as soon as they start considering a funding opportunity.
Post-Award and Research Process Support
Once grants are awarded, CALS provides a FAQ to help faculty best navigate the various steps of award set up, management and closeout. Clear guidance on “Who Does What” in post-award administration is provided (delineating the roles of faculty, departmental grant staff and central administration in budget management, reporting, compliance, etc.).
CALS Advisory Panel for Engaged Research (CAPER)
Beyond day-to-day grant management, CALS continuously works to improve the research environment through the CAPER team. CAPERs are appointed by the department chairs and are generally associate chairs of research in each department across CALS. CAPER help with administrative processes that support research. This peer network examines ways to improve research experience and success by streamlining internal procedures and making information more accessible. CAPER gives researchers a voice in improving how research is conducted and supported in the college.
Have an idea to reduce obstacles or inefficiency? CALS encourages faculty to reach out to the CAPER team to suggest solutions.
Research Facilities and Infrastructure
CALS researchers also benefit from a robust infrastructure, from state-of-the-art laboratories on campus to field stations and specialized centers. This ensures that faculty and students can access the tools they need – whether it’s high-throughput sequencing cores, analytical labs, greenhouses or computing resources – to carry out cutting-edge research. Technical staff and facility managers are available to assist with training and instrumentation, maximizing the impact of CALS’s research investments.