Building a Culture of Collaboration: 

Strategies to Strengthen Interdisciplinary 

ResearchSandy Justice 

CRA‐USF/AdvancedResearch AdministratorCollege of Arts & SciencesUniversity of South Florida

Erin Bhagvat, MBACRA‐USF/Advanced

Research AdministratorMorsani College of Medicine, 

Office of ResearchUniversity of South Florida 

Objectives

• Facilitate team building• Identify the right collaborators • Building the proposal• Strengthening grants through collaboration• Establishing a culture of collaboration at your institution

Why are we here?

Researcher ProgressionStartup 

Pilot StudyNIH R03 & R21NSF Early Career FellowshipK awards

PI fo

r Team

Collaborative GrantMulti‐InstitutionalTransformativeTeam GrantR01

Interdisc

iplinary

Integrated, multi‐faceted approach to complex research questions with broad impacts

Expected Life‐Cycle of Research

This is one way…

Collaboration

Changing funding climate drives collaboration

•Research driven ‐ holistic research examining social, environmental and economic impacts.

•Competitive funding ‐ diversifying research portfolio (federal, state, and private foundation funding) and productivity expectations (single PI R21, larger/broader R01, K grants, U grants)

•Interdisciplinary research and collaborative teambuilding is a key strategy to leverage a broad base of invested scientists and scholars, for a shared purposed each from their unique disciplinary perspective.

New Funding Model

Capacity Building Grants

Global Market

Inter‐disciplinary Research

What does it mean to be interdisciplinary?

Defined by the National Academies’ report*

“Interdisciplinary research is a mode of research by teams or individuals that integrates information, data, techniques, tools, perspectives, concepts, and/or theories from two or more disciplines or bodies of specialized knowledge to advance fundamental understanding or to solve problems whose solutions are beyond the scope of a single discipline or area of research practice.”

*Committee on Facilitating Interdisciplinary Research, Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy (2004). Facilitating interdisciplinary research. National Academies. Washington: National Academy Press, p. 2.

Employ interdisciplinary strategy to strengthen funding chances

Specific Programs

Jointly Sponsored NSF/NIH

Global Partnership

Position your institution for funding successStrategies that you can use to develop a culture of collaboration.Identify areas of research promise at your institution, leveraging existing expertise.Show the value of quality team building that will position large complex proposals for competitive funding.

Barriers to Collaboration• Ensuring credit is given• Distance• Challenge of maintaining momentum• Motivation

College of Medicine

College of Public Health

College of Engineering

College of Art and Sciences

College of Community and 

Behavioral Sciences

• What are the research strengths at your institution?

• What barriers do your scientists and scholars face when trying to collaborate?

• What can you do to resolve them?

Building Collaboration across Silos

Department Research Profile

• Grants• Publications• Expertise

College Areas of Research Promise

• Collaboration• Team Grants• Expertise

University Signature 

Research Area

•Multi‐ College Initiatives

• Interdisciplinary Centers

The Promise of Interdisciplinary 

Research Clusters

Targeted areas of national importance

Shared infrastructure – equipment and space

Improves quality of graduate student 

recruitmentEnhanced interactions 

across Colleges 

National and global 

network of academic and industrial partners

Positioned for interdisciplinary 

research funding

Grow where you’re planted• Cross‐training lunch & learn• Networking poster events• Research speed dating • Take every opportunity to get your scientists, scholars ANDstaff to: 

• Mix and mingle • Talk about what they’re doing• Share your ideas and expertise

STEAM = STEM + Arts

OKTOBERFEST Premier Research Networking Events 

Identifying existing strengths

By identifying areas of interdisciplinary promise, the USF School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (SNSM) positioned for strategic investment in the research areas with the most potential return on investment. 

Interdisciplinary research clusters (IRC) Accessible & Strong 

Faculty strength in each cluster is demonstrated by: (1) Funded research(2) Publications and 

Citations

http://sciences.cas.usf.edu/research_clusters

Maintaining Momentum• Identify funding opportunities• Wine and Writing• Themed ‘Think Tank’ meetings• Community Journal• Trackers

Enter the research administrator

Nimble, talented & enthusiastic teamStaffing responses to culture change in research administration• Grant management • Sub awards • Grant reporting • Publishing & disseminating results

Teamwork makes the dream work:Collaborative Research Support

Building expertise for Staff @ USF• THE RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION

IMPROVEMENT NETWORK (TRAIN®) AT USF• Certification Program (CRA‐USF/Basic and Advanced)• TRAIN® Associates and TRAIN® Ambassadors • Academy of Certified Research Administrators at USF• USF College Research Administrators Network (CRAN)

• Rx for Research, Steering Committee with broad participation across colleges

excellencein research

administration at USF

Established in 2008

Certified Research Administrator at USF 

(CRA‐USF)

CRA‐USF/BasicDemonstrates successful acquisition of the body of knowledge in pre‐ and post‐award. Attainment of this credential requires successful completion of an online course with a score of 100%

CRA‐USF/AdvancesDemonstrates successful acquisition in the body of knowledge in pre‐ and post‐award USF business systems, processes, tools and forms. Attainment of this credential requires successful completion of the eCRA‐USF/Basic course (pre‐requisite) and attendance at a full‐day classroom lab session for hands‐on skill practice.

46 USF TRAIN® Associates from colleges and central areas serve as subject matter

experts assisting in the development of the CRA-USF curriculum and instruction of the

courses.

19 USF research administrators from colleges and central areas serve as

TRAIN ® Ambassadors for the program, helping shape improvements through

collaboration and team work.

FOUNDED 2015

163 USF research administrators inducted

into the Academy

The mission of the Academy of Certified Research Administrators at USF is to recognize research administration as a respected profession; enhance the visibility of the pivotal role that research administrators have in USF’s success as a high impact, global research university; and to encourage a passion for the pursuit of excellence in research administration.

Quarterly meetings provide members of the USF research administration enterprise with a forum to learn about, share and discuss important and timely topics pertaining to the research enterprise.

“You can do what I cannot do. I can do what you cannot do. Together, we can do great 

things.”‐Mother Teresa

Equipment and Core Facilities

•Microscopy•Small animal imaging•Behavior & Telemetry•Flow Cytometry

• Microscopy Core• Phytotron Room• Mass Spectrometry• NMR Facility

• Cell Biology‐isolation and analysis• Chemodiversity facility• Nuclear magnetic resonance core• Protein production• Proteomics facility

• Surgical Skills Lab• Education Facilities• Simulation Center

Have a chat

Resources

Sandra Justice sjustice@usf.eduErin Bhagvat ebhagvat@health.usf.edu

Got questions?