Wayne State was selected for its development of the Researcher's Dashboard, a Web-based custom software application that seamlessly and intuitively integrates multiple applications, allowing researchers and grant administrators an improved way of monitoring and managing proposals and grants they are assigned to, ultimately providing them with more accurate information in real time.

"Research in higher education is very competitive," said Hilary Ratner, WSU's vice president for research. "Faculty engaged in research often spend much time managing and administering the business aspect of their grants, losing valuable time in their labs. Through the development of the Researcher's Dashboard, we are connecting various systems through one portal, giving our research community easy access to grant information, reducing administrative burden and providing more time to conduct research."

The Researcher's Dashboard integrates a number of technologies, including Coeus, a comprehensive electronic research administration system that enables researchers to monitor and track the development of their proposal as well as monitor their funded grants. In addition, three SunGard Banner systems - Banner Unified Digital Campus, Banner Document Management Suite and Banner Operational Data Store - are integrated, providing researchers and administrators real-time access to grant finance and personnel data, as well as easy access for viewing paper documents and compiling and preparing timely reports associated with their research.

"With the pervasive use of complex enterprise technology in nearly every aspect of our professional lives, it is imperative for forward-thinking organizations to develop intuitive and elegant technology solutions to simplify processes and drive real 21st century efficiencies," said Joseph F. Sawasky, WSU's chief information officer and associate vice president for C&IT. "To reach these goals, it is essential to take a collaborative approach and establish true campus partnerships where customers, administrators and technologists work together to understand needs and develop innovative solutions. Without the collaborative efforts between OVPR, academic units, faculty and C&IT, this strategic software solution and the award itself would not have been possible."

Wayne State University officials are hoping to make the WSU-developed Researcher's Dashboard available to other research universities to help them innovate and advance the efficiency of research administration processes. The university is exploring a community source/open source deployment of the Researcher's Dashboard with SunGard Higher Education. To learn more about the Researcher's Dashboard, visit http://thelink.computing.wayne.edu/researchers-dashboard.php

Wayne State University is one of the nation's pre-eminent public research universities in an urban setting. Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the city of Detroit, state of Michigan and throughout the world. For more information about research at Wayne State University, visit http://www.research.wayne.edu.