AI for Research Administration
Empowering Research Excellence: Innovating Administration with AI
Project Summary
Research Administration (RA) faces challenges due to outdated systems and limited resources, particularly at smaller institutions like emerging research institutions, minority-serving institutions, and primarily undergraduate institutions. The University of Idaho and partners are addressing these issues by developing open-source AI and data science tools to improve RA processes, making them more efficient and equitable. This initiative aims to level the playing field by providing scalable and impactful tools that enhance data accessibility and system interoperability. The project not only seeks to modernize RA practices but also to foster a skilled workforce, driving scientific, societal, and economic progress through collaborative development and community engagement.
Project Objectives
The project will use an iterative, user-centered development approach, incorporating feedback from partners to ensure the tools meet real-world needs. Importantly, the project features an independent external evaluator to ensure the research administration community can learn from both successes and challenges, a critical approach given the rapid advancements in AI capabilities. By integrating data science and AI in a thoughtful, tested manner, this project aims to create a transformative framework for efficient, data-driven research administration that can be adopted widely across diverse institutions.
Objective 1
Develop open-source data models and workflows that adhere to FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data principles to improve data accessibility and interoperability in research administration.
Objective 2
Create trustworthy AI-powered tools to automate manual processes, reduce errors, and augment the capabilities of research administrators. These will include natural language processing and machine learning models for tasks like data extraction, compliance verification, and decision support. All tools will undergo rigorous testing for accuracy, reliability, and reproducibility.
Objective 3
Implement and assess the impact of these tools at partner institutions, starting with the University of Idaho and Southern Utah University, then expanding to additional collaborators.
