System Research Administrators' Group

The Systems Research Administrator's Group (SRAG) consists of Sponsored Programs pre-award and post-award representatives from each of the institutions within the University System of Maryland. The purpose of the group is to exchange information and ideas, collaborate on those issues which impact sponsored projects administration, and share best practices to support research and scholarly activities at our constituent institutions. The group's objective is to share knowledge, experiences and vet proposed changes concerning a wide range of federal, state, and institutional policies. Research administration not only impacts the management and administration of sponsored projects operations, but also frequently impacts areas across university administrative units such as Finance, HR, Academic Affairs, Procurement, Facilities, Legal, as well as Research Compliance and Technology Transfer. SRAG acts in an advisory capacity to University System Maryland proposed policy changes governing research.

SRAG members keep abreast of federal and state policy changes by participating in the Council on Governmental Relations (COGR) and the Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP). These organizations provide a forum for obtaining the latest information in proposed federal regulations which can potentially have a major impact on sponsored program administration of federal awards at our constituent institutions. Participation provides an opportunity for SRAG members to advocate for those policies and procedures which minimize regulatory burden placed on faculty. Further, it provides updates to inform senior management on issues which effect institutional policies governing research and sponsored programs.

In addition, SRAG members collaborate with State of Maryland Governor's grants office representatives to establish standard award terms and conditions with State of Maryland agencies. This initiative provides a mechanism for an efficient and effective award instrument to promote partnerships and scholarly collaboration between USM institutions and State of Maryland sponsors.

SRAG members work on a continuous basis on initiatives which support sponsored projects administration through collaboration on standard agreement terms and conditions with the use of inter-institutional agreements to promote collaborations between campuses; participation in professional development opportunities through conferences and workshops, and pooling resources and shared services through software license agreements which support research administration.

SRAG provides information for the Report on Extramural Funding that annually goes to the Regents' Committee on Education Policy and has helped refine the language used in the report to improve clarity.

SRAG has agreed to utilize the Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP) Subaward Template for all inter-institutional agreements. The FDP Subaward template can be found under the Quick Links box under "FDP Subaward Forms".

Other Resources:
Federal Demonstration Partnership To go to the Subaward templates, click on "Committees" then under "Task Forces" click on "Subaward Demonstration Project". The direct url is http://www.rtto.psu.edu/spa/subawards/subdemo.htm.

Guidelines and Definitions for USM Annual Extramural Awards Report - FY24 Forthcoming

Report on Extramural Funding - FY 2023

Current Membership