Professional Development

 

The Office of Research Services, the Center for Research Excellence, and the other units within the Division of Research provide a variety of annual and ad hoc professional development opportunities, workshops, and programs for faculty, staff and students. Please visit the News Page for information on upcoming programs.

Annual and On-going Professional Development:

The Certificate Program in Grants and Contracts Administration, Level 1 is intended for staff in academic departments (or similar units) whose job responsibilities include providing financial and administrative support for grants and contracts to Principal Investigators, Department Chairs, and others.

The Certificate provides core knowledge about grants and contracts in general, and about the administration of grants and contracts at UNC Charlotte in particular. The certificate program is especially useful for staff new to grants and contracts administration at the department level. This includes:

  • New UNC Charlotte staff employed in departments that manage and administer grants and contracts
  • Existing UNC Charlotte staff whose departments anticipate that they will have grants and contracts to manage and administer in the future
  • UNC Charlotte staff who wish to prepare themselves for employment in departments that manage and administer grants and contracts

Program participants are selected based on an application process and space availability, and employees with current job responsibilities working with grants and contracts may be given preference.

Requirements:

  • Complete prerequisites listed below
  • Attend and participate in all sessions of the Certificate program
  • Complete an evaluation of each session
  • Achieve a satisfactory score on each of the Learning Assessments administered as part of the Program

Certificate Prerequisites ( offered via Learning and Development)

  • Banner Finance Training
  • Budget: Understanding General Fund and Position Budget
  • Complex Payments and Tax Guidance
  • Employment of Internationals Workshop
  • Fixed Assets
  • Paying for Travel at UNC Charlotte
  • Purchasing and Accounts Payable 101
  • Student Employment Coordinator Workshop
  • Navigating Niner Research ( via ORS workshop series)

Spring 2025 Course Dates for Level I: February 11 – April 1, 2025. Weekly on Tuesdays , 9am – 12 noon. Location: Cone Building, 1st Floor, Room 111.

To apply please complete the application form here by Monday, Jan 27. Applicants will be informed of the results of their application by Friday, Jan 31.

For more information, send an inquiry to research@charlotte.edu

Spring 2025 workshops

All workshops will be held via Zoom.  Please register for all you wish to attend via the Learning and Development Events Calendar

Navigating Niner Research –Monday, February 10 @ 11am -12noon

  • Learn the basics of locating documents and information in Niner Research to facilitate post-award management.

Summer Salaries – Wednesday, February 26 @ 2-3 pm

  • Learn the basics of locating documents and information in Niner Research to facilitate post-award management.

Travel on Grants and Contracts – Thursday, March 6 @ 10- 11 am

  • Learn about the processes and requirements for summer salaries for faculty and staff on externally funded awards

AORs and NCEs – Thursday, March 13 @ 10-11 am

  • Learn about Assumptions of Risk (AORs) and No-Cost Extensions (NCEs), including what they are, what documentation and information is needed to request one, and how to use them to facilitate post-award management.

Hiring on Grants and Contracts – Wednesday, March 26 @ 2-3 pm

  • Learn about the processes and requirements for hiring students, staff, and faculty on externally funded awards.  

Release Time – Thursday, April 10 @ 11 am – 12 pm

  • Explore how to process release time, how it is used, and some key things to keep in mind when managing awards that include release time.

Proposal Development Overview – Wednesday, April 23 @ 2-3 pm

  • An overview of the key things to know about the preparation to submit a proposal for external funding, including timelines, requirements, key University policies, budget considerations, etc.

Research Administration Open Forum

Note: There will not be an Open Forum on Wednesday, December 11.

Held the second Wednesday of each month, 10-11am, these open forums are an opportunity for faculty and staff to ask research administration related questions to Office of Research Services staff. These open forums are designed to address questions about University and sponsor processes related to research, federal and sponsor guidelines, etc. Very specific project related questions that require detailed background information or investigation are best directed to the appropriate representative from the ORS Award Management team . Click here to Join the Forum