Navigate: Lunch & Learn

Target Audience

The Navigate: Lunch & Learn series is open to all research administrators involved in any pre- or post-award management activities for research projects. 

Upcoming Session 

Stay tuned for the next session of Navigate: Lunch & Learn in Winter 2019.

The Navigate: Lunch & Learn series offers two ways to participate:

• attend in person and enjoy a pizza lunch with research administration colleagues, or
• attend virtually through a BlueJeans video conferencing meeting.

Details including the session topic, schedule, and registration information will be shared through a RAPid newsletter and published on this web page next year!

Past Sessions

Here are some examples of past Lunch & Learn topics:

Learn From My Mistakes: An Exploration of RA Horror Stories - November 2018  

This special Halloween-themed Navigate Lunch & Learn event explored “chilling tales” contributed by research administrators from across the university about mishaps they encountered and lessons learned from these experiences.  

Mapping Your Career in the Research Administration (RA) Zone - July 2018  

In this Lunch & Learn session, leaders from both the University of Michigan and Michigan State University shared their interesting pathways to their current positions in this amazing field. Watch the Mapping Your Career video for more information.

Partner or Perish: A Holistic Approach to Corporate Relations - June 2018 - 

In this Lunch & Learn session, Stella Wixom, Executive Director, U-M Business Engagement Center (BEC), shared information about what the BEC can do to support faculty who are interested in engaging with industry or pursuing commercialization. Additional BEC resource: Watch the BEC’s What We Can Do for Faculty video.

CRA Exam Experiences: A Panel Discussion - May 2018

In this Lunch & Learn session, Kristina Oberly (CSE Research Manager and CRA) moderated a panel where guests shared their experiences in preparing for the exam, tips and tricks for success, post-exam lessons learned and answered questions from the audience. To learn more about the session discussion, please view the CRA Exam Panel Discussion document.

Effort - February 2018 - 

Faculty and staff are responsible for monitoring their activities to ensure that their effort is supported by fund sources appropriate to their activities, and for certifying their effort on an annual basis. But effort reporting and certification can be a confusing topic for faculty and research administrators alike. In this Lunch & Learn session, Heather Offhaus, Director of the Medical School Grants Review & Analysis Office, provided a basic overview of Effort and discussed its importance. 

Subawards, Hybrids, and Purchase Orders - October 2017 - 

Dennis Poszywak, Procurement Subcontract Administrator of U-M, helped distinguish the differences among subawards, purchase orders, and hybrid purchase orders, and how they impact your proposals.

Financial Status Reports (FSRs) - June 2017

Kristi Beckon, Senior Financial Manager, provided a basic overview of Financial Status Reports (FSRs) and discuss their importance, including a detailed review of the FSR worksheet snapshot and the required submission timeline.