Open Government: Research Administration Data

Purpose: The Open Government Research Administration Data (OG:RAD)

The Open Government Research Administration Data effort is FDP’s data centric, evidence based subcommittee. Dedicated to surfacing pain points, assessing them for burden, compiling evidence, and working with our Federal partners to provide feedback to help ensure efficiency and effectiveness in their modernization efforts. In addition, we monitor all legislation and memos for impact on our work related to data requirements or potentially burdensome reporting. This subcommittee is part of the Research Administration Committee. See organizational chart.

Within the FDP we look to support a Community of Practice (CoP) for discussing data and solutions in the grants administration space. This user group is always looking to bring forward ideas from the community that use data to assess or manage their local operations such as dashboards, golden spreadsheets, or process augmentations.

Current Activities/Initiatives

Specific Efforts:

LoC Draw-down: Effort to survey a common process and assess it for burden while developing evidence to help reduce burden
Standardized Notice of Award (SNoA): The FDP via OG:RAD partnered with the DATA Act PMO to provide feedback regarding standardization. We are excited that the SNoA is coming and we aren’t done yet! OG:RAD looks to ensure an ongoing engagement to ensure continuing feedback especially around web services
Data Analysis - HERD Survey: The HERD Survey currently states it takes 60hrs to complete. With a workgroup in conjunction with NSF we seek to demo a better way forward through data analysis resulting in a 50% reduction in effort while ensuring ease and consistency in repeatability and comparability across institutions
FSRS: With this effort the OG:RAD looks to partner with another committee to help evaluate the current sub reporting process for opportunities for improvement using data.
Federal Government Systems Matrix Analysis: Using the FDP Systems Matrix develop by the FDP eRA committee to discuss system effectiveness via data with our Federal partners

General:

Modernization & Performance.gov: (to be revised based on QSMO and the expected updated President’s Management Agenda)

OG:RAD will continue to work with our Federal partners to stay plugged into modernizations efforts that include implementing data standards (FIBF) and efficiency efforts including the adoption of new technology that bring new levels of transparency and access to data.

Quality Service Management Organizations (QSMO) and CAP Goal 8 – OG:RAD looks to be a standing participant in the QSMO for the Results-Oriented Accountability for Grants effort.

Legislation:

OG:RAD will continue to monitor for post DATA Act, legislation that will impact our community. Some examples include the GONE Act, GREAT Act, OPEN Act. Currently monitoring the American Rescue Plan Act and CARES Act asking, will the CARES Act have reporting requirements? Will CARES act reporting requirements resemble ARRA reporting?

Foster data solution sharing: In our next phase, OG:RAD would like to explicitly foster the following:

Using burden reduction as a driver (40%), assess data maturity level of our institutions and identify areas where our community can improve
Enable business intelligence. Activity identify area to analyze and improve our understanding of our business
Share local data solutions such as dashboards by facilitating demonstrations from our community
Collect and demo data analysis from peers
Work with the community to identify data sources for analysis
Assess impact of manual operations and explore opportunities for improvement with our FDP peer committees

Partnerships: Foster ongoing collaboration opportunities with our peer committees like Finance and eRA

Committee, Subcommittee, Working Groups

For each data, evidence based effort OG:RAD establishes and helps manage a work group. Work groups consist of leads, volunteers and a project manager/organizer.

Open Government: Research Administration Data

Core Group (subcommittee chairs) looks to facilitate the following to provide vision for current and existing workgroups on data driven opportunities

Workgroup - LoC: (Burden Assessment) – Post Award Management: LoC Draw-Downs Survey

Burden assessment and reduction evidence collection trial where we use a common process and evidence

Membership:

Leads: Nate Wayman-Martinez, Duke and Chris Berner, NSF

Survey Creation & Analysis Volunteers

Standing Group: Data Analysis and Business Intelligence Community of Practice

Work with folks to demo local data solutions like dashboards and key metrics from our partner institutions. Open call for participants. Contact us and let’s make sure you are able to demonstrate your data wares!

Membership: TBD - Expected to be based on New FDP volunteer interest feedback and any data enthusiasts

Resources for the Research Community

NSF & Treasury DLT Clickable Prototype:
- Zoom Demo via youtube
- Presentation PDF
- Clickable demo (pwd: fit_gps)

Performance.gov
OMB Memos:
M-20-21 Implementation Guidance for Supplemental Funding Provided in Response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
M-21-20 Promoting Public Trust in the Federal Government through Effective Implementation of the American Rescue Plan Act and Stewardship of the Taxpayer Resources
M-21-03 - “Improvements in Federal Spending Transparency for Financial Assistance” (“further implementation under CAP Goal #8 and GREAT Act and outlines new requirements through the publication and data element standardization of Federal Financial Assistance Award Agreements and Indirect Cost Rates. Should be interesting how it gets implemented”)
M-18-24 - “Strategies to Reduce Grant Recipient Reporting Burden”
M-17-22 - “Comprehensive Plan for Reforming the Federal Government and Reducing the Federal Civilian Workforce”
Legislation
MITRE