The NDSU Sponsored Programs Administration & Grant and Contract Accounting offices are introducing a new collaborative training series which is designed for faculty and business support staff who assist in the pre- and post-award processes.

Goal: To empower faculty and staff with the essential knowledge and practical skills needed to effectively manage sponsored projects, ensure compliance, financial integrity, and successful project execution. The first five sessions are designed to be sequential; however, each module can be used independently for training at the college or department level.

Format: Each session will be approximately 60-75 minutes long, ideally comprising 45 minutes of presentation and 15-30 minutes for Q&A and practical examples. Sessions will be offered in-person with virtual attendance options.

Navigating Sponsored Programs – From Pre-Award to Closeout sessions

  • Session 1: Overview of Award Lifecycle Sept. 29
  • Session 2: Pre-award to Proposal Submission – Oct. 20
  • Session 3: Research Integrity, Security and Compliance (RISC) and Just-in-time (JIT) Requirements
  • Session 4: Project Start-up – Jan. 26, 2026, 12 pm - 1 pm (Nueta + Zoom)
  • Session 5: Award Operations Management – Feb. 23, 2026, 12 pm - 1 pm (Meadowlark + Zoom)
  • Session 6: Novelution – March 16, 2026, 12 pm - 1 pm (Nueta + Zoom)
    Note: CHANGED from March 23.

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Learn about NDSU's new partnership with RAND, a non-profit, nonpartisan research organization that provides leaders with information they need to make evidence-based decisions. In this town hall, you can engage with RAND scientists and methodologists to brainstorm how to ensure that the first year of the Rural America Partnership informs important policy and research relevant to North Dakota, the five sovereign Tribal nations, and the Upper Great Plains.

Feb. 25, 12:15 pm - 1 pm
Mar. 2, 12:15 pm - 1 pm
Zoom

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This informal session will be a chance to chat, share ideas, and connect directly with the Heidi Grunwald, NDSU interim vice president of research and creative activity. There’s not a set agenda — just an open conversation about research opportunities, challenges, and the ways we can strengthen our research community.

Whether you have a question, an idea to discuss, or simply want to meet other researchers from across campus, this is an open space for connection and exchange.

Feb. 27, 9 am - 10 am
Badlands + Zoom

No RSVP required - grab a cup of coffee or tea and drop in for as little or as long as you'd like.

JOIN SESSION

Join NDSU interim VPR Grunwald to learn about the Genesis Mission, a coordinated national effort to unleash AI‑accelerated innovation and discovery to solve challenging problems.

The Genesis Mission aims to bring together research and development resources and combine the efforts of researchers, businesses, universities, and existing research infrastructure (including data repositories, production plants, and national security sites) to accelerate AI development and utilization. The Genesis Mission will build an integrated AI platform to harness federal scientific datasets to train scientific foundation models and create AI agents to test new hypotheses, automate research workflows, and accelerate scientific breakthroughs.

Mar. 3, 8 am - 8:45 am
Meadow Lark + Zoom

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Learn about the Federal Statistical Research Data Center (FSRDC), its data, and research opportunities from Cathy Fitch, Associate Director of the Institute for Social Research and Data Innovation, an interdisciplinary research institute that provides the infrastructure and services to support the work of its four centers: IPUMS, the Minnesota Population Center, the Life Course Center, and the Minnesota Research Data Center.

Main audiences for FSRDC data are economists, public health researchers, sociologists, geographers, and demographers.

Mar. 4, 2026, 12 pm - 1:30 pm
Meinecke Board Room + Zoom
Lunch Provided
Presentation until 1pm with time for Q&A following.

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Join local entrepreneurial ecosystem players for a high-level overview of how their organizations can support entrepreneurs. In addition, learn from other NDSU entrepreneurs about their experience with starting a business.

Ryan Aasheim, Chief Business Development Officer, Greater Fargo Moorhead EDC

  • What the EDC is and when someone should reach out to you
  • State and local incentives entrepreneurs should know about
  • What is primary sector certification
  • Q&A

No RSVP required - you are welcome to stay for as little or as long as you'd like!

March 5, 4:00-5:30 pm
Brewhalla, second floor
1702 1 Ave N, Fargo
(food and beverage is responsibility of attendees)

  • Session 1: Kick off, familiarization with online bootcamp materials
    Jan. 12, 2026, 12 pm - 1 pm
    Meinecke Board Room + Zoom
  • Session 2: Intellectual Merit / Broader Impacts
    Feb. 9, 2026, 12 pm - 1 pm
    Badlands + Zoom
  • Session 3: Budgeting
    Mar. 9, 2026, 12 pm - 1 pm
    Badlands + Zoom
  • Session 4: Ugly First Draft
    Apr. 13, 2026, 12 pm - 1 pm
    Badlands + Zoom
  • Session 5: Other Sections / Continue to Work with Consultant
    May 18, 2026, 12 pm - 1 pm
    Badlands + Zoom

Water and coffee provided. Bring your own lunch.

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A lunch and learn with experimental particle physicist and cosmologist Larry Gladney, PhD. He will share some chapters out of his new book Python for Graduate students. Faculty, Staff, and students are invited to attend. Lunch will be served during his presentation.

Gladney is the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean of Science, Phyllis A. Wallace Dean of Diversity and Faculty Excellence, and Professor of Physics at Yale University. He is a renowned physicist who works at the intersection of experimental particle physics and cosmology and he is also a leader in science outreach, widely known for his work expanding access to education.

March 17, 2026 12:00 – 1:30 pm
Presentation starts at 12:15 pm with time for Q&A following
MU Room Prairie Rose
Lunch Provided

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RCA event replays and materials

Miss an RCA Event? You can still get access to replays and materials afterwards.

Go to replays and materials

TRANSCEND

A partnership among NDSU, the University of North Dakota, and Sanford Health, the goal of TRANSCEND is to bring together researchers and clinicians with diverse experience from across the region to develop unique and innovative means of combating disease and other health issues in North Dakota.

TRANSCEND is supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number 1P20GM155890-01.

Daniel Kenzie, NDSU assistant professor, will present this session focused on using and adapting the Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD) structure for research manuscripts, identifying effective writing and editing strategies, identifying the uses and pitfalls of artificial intelligence tools, and strategizing how to write for specific journals.

Jan. 13, 12 pm – 1 pm
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Faculty Development Calendar

The Faculty Development Calendar is the place to find date, location and detailed information on RCA seminars, workshops, bootcamps and other opportunities for funding and skill-building.

Research and Creative Activity

Contact Page Manager Search the Research KB LinkedIn link