U of I Awarded $4.5 million Grant

February 7, 2025 (edited March 20, 2025)
Michelle Reagan
IIDS Scientific Communications and Design Specialist

U of I Awarded $4.5 million Grant to Pioneer Generative AI Tools for Research Administration

University of Idaho (U of I) has been awarded a $4.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Growing Research Access for Nationally Transformative Economic Development (GRANTED) program. The GRANTED program’s goal is to enhance the U.S. research enterprise by improving administration support infrastructure, increasing service capacity and broadening participation by developing institutions across the national research landscape.

U of I’s project, led by Principal Investigator Sarah Martonick, Director of the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP), focuses on leveraging generative artificial intelligence (AI) to streamline administrative processes and drive efficiency in research management. The project represents a transformative step toward reducing administrative burdens, enabling researchers to focus more on their work and less on compliance-related tasks.

This initiative will strengthen U of I’s research position as the institution recently achieved R1 research status, allowing the research office to efficiently support its growing research portfolio. Chris Nomura, Vice President of U of I’s Office of Research and Economic Development, emphasizes the transformative impact of this project: The work being done for this award will allow the University of Idaho to build new AI tools to help in research administration. I believe that this project will transform the entire field of research administration and allow universities to better meet compliance requirements and improve efficiencies.

The award highlights U of I’s expertise in artificial intelligence research and represents a unique collaboration between the Office of Sponsored Programs and the Institute of Interdisciplinary Data Sciences (IIDS). Together, OSP and IIDS seek to pioneer innovative applications of AI that solve complex institutional challenges and support the broader research community.

Transforming Research Administration with Generative AI

The complexities of research administration continue to grow. Professionals in this area struggle with labor-intensive tasks to process documentation, manage funds and ensure compliance with evolving federal requirements. At U of I, the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) is no exception, grappling with these repetitive and time-consuming challenges.

Leveraging the university’s cutting-edge AI resources housed within the Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences, U of I intends to transform research administration. The goal is to reduce administrative burdens for educational organizations across the country.

This initiative will develop custom generative AI tools designed specifically to address the unique needs of research administration. Unlike general-purpose AI solutions such as ChatGPT, these tools will prioritize security, reproducibility and reliability—key considerations in the sensitive realm of research administration.

Through the Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences (IIDS), U of I possesses a powerful combination of technical expertise and advanced infrastructure in artificial intelligence, said Luke Sheneman, co-Principal Investigator and Director of the Research Computing and Data Services unit. We are uniquely positioned to address these challenges. As a smaller institution, we acutely feel the administrative burdens of research management as we outgrow the current research infrastructure, but we also have the resources to develop innovative AI-driven solutions. RCDS identified the promising opportunity of applying Large Language Models (LLMs) and other modern Generative AI approaches to automate and streamline research administration and is now developing these solutions while collaborating directly with research administrators in OSP.

These generative AI tools will significantly enhance efficiency, freeing up administrators to focus on strategic and high-value responsibilities that require human expertise. Generative AI will help ease the burden on administrators, Sheneman added. This enables them to better support faculty, who are often overwhelmed by the growing complexity of managing research funding.

The Vandalizer: Customizable Solutions for Administrative Workflows

Administrative workflows, especially in research management, often involve repetitive and time-consuming tasks. The Vandalizer, a generative AI-powered solution developed by U of I’s Research Computing and Data Services (RCDS), is designed to transform these processes by offering customizable and shareable workflows that enhance efficiency, accuracy and collaboration across administrative units.

One example of its potential impact is in processing unstructured documents like grant award letters. Research administrators often spend up to 20 minutes manually extracting critical information such as principal investigator details, budgets, timelines and compliance conditions from a single document. With over 400 new awards processed in fiscal year 2024 alone, this task represents more than three weeks of staff time annually. The Vandalizer can accomplish this same work in just 20 seconds per document with almost perfect accuracy, significantly reducing manual labor while nearly eliminating data entry errors.

Beyond document processing, the Vandalizer is designed to address a broad spectrum of administrative challenges. It can ingest complex documents, extract and organize data, and facilitate interoperability between previously siloed workflows. The tool has already been tested with documents from agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF), with plans to expand its capabilities to other funding sources.

The Vandalizer is not just a time-saver—it’s a paradigm shift in how administrative tasks are approached, said Barrie Robison, co-Principal Investigator and Director of IIDS. Its’ adaptability allows individual administrative units to customize workflows to their specific needs, reducing manual labor, improving efficiency and augmenting the capabilities of overworked staff.

By automating repetitive tasks and reducing the likelihood of errors, the Vandalizer’s application of generative AI represents a significant step forward in optimizing administrative processes and empowering research institutions to work more efficiently.

Building a Community of Practice: Collaboration Across Institutions

The impacts of the new grant extend beyond University of Idaho (U of I). A central goal is to foster a community of practice to share generative AI tools and insights with other institutions. The project focuses on supporting smaller universities, particularly undergraduate and emerging research institutions, which face similar administrative challenges but often lack the resources to address them effectively.

To begin this collaborative effort, U of I is partnering with Southern Utah University as a sub-awardee and plans to expand the initiative to two or three additional institutions by the third year of the project. These institutions will be selected through an open, competitive application process. To support this growing network, U of I will hire a dedicated Trainer and Communicator tasked with engaging participating institutions through presentations, workshops, and online resources.

A long-term objective of the project is to make the tools widely accessible by releasing them as open-source solutions, along with training materials designed for administrators nationwide. These tools will be interoperable and modular, enabling easy deployment by institutions regardless of their size or technical capacity. By providing customizable, stand-alone systems, U of I aims to empower smaller institutions to enhance the efficiency and compliance of their research programs without requiring significant investment in infrastructure.

Empowering Smaller Institutions: A Personal Mission

For Sarah Martonick, this project represents more than a professional achievement—it’s a deeply personal mission. A first-generation college graduate from University of Idaho (U of I), Martonick has risen through the ranks of the Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) to become its director. Her journey, rooted in the supportive and collaborative environment of U of I, exemplifies the university’s unique ability to inspire and empower its community.

U of I is a special place to me,” Martonick reflects. “It’s where I started my journey, and it’s where I’ve seen firsthand the challenges faced by faculty who are researchers at heart but must navigate complex administrative systems. Her dual perspective as both a Principal Investigator (PI) and an experienced research administrator fuels her commitment to easing the administrative burdens that can hinder research progress.

Martonick is particularly passionate about supporting smaller institutions, which she believes are often overlooked despite being home to many innovative and dedicated researchers. By collaborating on the development of AI tools that streamline administrative tasks, she hopes to provide these institutions with the resources they need to thrive. I’m excited for small schools to have a voice in the national research landscape, she says, and to offer solutions that address the challenges they face with limited resources.

Her connection to U of I and the state of Idaho runs deep. Growing up in Sandpoint, she was drawn to U of I through its local research station, where she attended community events that sparked her interest in research and education. This personal history underscores U of I’s broader commitment to fostering meaningful partnerships across Idaho and beyond. The university’s focus on collaboration and community engagement provides a strong foundation for building a national community of practice grounded in shared knowledge and mutual support.

Martonick’s story is emblematic of U of I’s mission to inspire and equip individuals to make meaningful contributions, both locally and on a broader scale. Her leadership not only drives this project forward but also reflects the university’s dedication to creating opportunities for transformative impact.

Looking Ahead: Transforming Research Administration Nationwide

This initiative has the potential to fundamentally reshape research administration, both at the University of Idaho (U of I) and across the nation. As co-Principal Investigator Barrie Robison explains, This grant and the tools we are developing are not just for U of I. They’re about creating a new, more efficient model for research administration that can be adopted by institutions of all sizes. By sharing these tools and training resources, we’re enabling other universities and colleges—especially those with limited resources—to make research administration more streamlined and less burdensome.

Through the development of generative AI-powered solutions, U of I is addressing critical challenges in research administration and creating tools designed to support institutions of all sizes. These innovations will help streamline processes, improve accuracy and enable more efficient compliance management, ultimately freeing up valuable time and resources for faculty and staff.

By fostering collaboration and sharing these advancements, U of I is leading a broader effort to make research administration more accessible and effective across the academic community. The groundwork is being laid for a future where AI-powered research administration becomes the standard, enabling universities to meet compliance requirements and improve efficiencies in ways never before possible.

This project was funded by the National Science Foundation GRANTED program under award 2427549. The total project funding is $4,546,903, of which 100% is the federal share.