Last September, as part of the university’s Next Frontier Program, the Division of Research and Economic Development (DRED) sent out the PI Dashboard Requirements Survey to gather campus requirements for the PI Dashboard. The number 1 priority was updating the existing Sponsored Project Budget v. Actuals Report (BvA) to include forward-looking salary and fringe benefits encumbrances. Since this time, various university offices and business representatives with sponsored projects experience from across campus have (1) benchmarked what other universities have done, (2) iteratively proposed solutions, (3) developed the upgraded BvA in the data warehouse, and (4) thoroughly tested many scenarios in several rounds of testing, including with faculty representatives in the most recent tests. We are incredibly grateful for the service these individuals provided. Based on the collective feedback, the BvA is now available for campus use!
Detailed information about accessing and using the BvA is available here. Before using the BvA, please spend a few minutes reading the Frequently Asked Questions on the above site. This is important for ensuring that you understand critical details about the university’s financial system and processes, the data represented in the BvA, and actions the university is taking elsewhere to move us closer to not needing shadow systems to manage sponsored project financials. Efficiency, scalability, and reducing administrative burdens for faculty and staff are at the heart of DRED’s and the Next Frontier Program’s initiatives. Stay tuned for more information.
Technical questions and/or suggestions about the BvA should be directed to DRED’s Research Administration Systems & Analytics at rasa@boisestate.edu.