Checklist for Administrative Advisors
updated May 2021
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Management
_____Have I ensured election of project leadership, including a Secretary who will take notes in meetings?
_____Have I updated the technical committee on changes in the multistate research program (if any)?
_____Have I encouraged broad participation in scientific expertise, including extension, from a multitude of states including those in different regions?
_____If problems arise, have I consulted with the leaders of the technical committee to achieve goals and meet deadlines?
Meetings:
_____Have I authorized the annual meeting using NIMSS, up to 90 days prior to the planned meeting or activity?
_____Have I assured that meeting minutes were taken and uploaded to NIMSS 60 days after meeting?
_____How can I assist the regional committee leadership with the preparation of the meeting agenda? Is the agenda built around the project’s objectives?
_____Is there a strong commitment to the multistate activity as evidenced by annual meeting attendance?
_____Have I encouraged the NIFA representative to attend the annual meeting? In the event that the NIFA representative cannot participate, have I discussed issues which need to be brought to the attention of the committee members?
Annual Reports:
_____As AA, have I encouraged the project leadership to set deadlines for necessary committee/project activities?
_____As AA, have I discussed and reinforced the need for demonstrating inter-dependence in the preparation of annual reports?
_____As AA, have I encouraged the project leadership to complete the annual report in a timely fashion and ensured that it was uploaded in NIMSS?
_____Have I reviewed the Annual Report to determine if the project is achieving its objectives? Are the results clear, concise and usable?
Engagement:
_____When new members join the regional project activity, have I spent time acquainting them with the project activity?
_____Are all scientists assigned to the research project activity contributing?
_____Have the scientists engaged in the multistate activity shown any interest or success in seeking and finding supplemental funding to enhance selective objectives of the project?
_____Have I encouraged dissemination of research results to stakeholders?
Leadership
_____Have I familiarized myself with the nature and the purpose of the regional activity?
_____As AA, am I acting as an advocate? Have I worked with the technical team to assist in the identification and development of meaningful impact statements?
_____Have I considered reaching out to the Multistate Research Fund Impacts Program to help prepare and share Impact Statements? https://www.multistateresearchimpacts.org/
_____When and where appropriate, have I encouraged linking and meeting with similar multistate activities to expand collaboration?
_____Are there other investigators from other disciplines that if brought into this project activity would increase the multidisciplinary nature of the activity, including extension faculty?
_____Do the regional committee activities support the project objectives?
_____Does the project activity demonstrate a level of interdependence in its approach? Is there evidence that the investigators are working together on each objective, or is the work simply a collection of individual investigators conducting research without some demonstrated level of interdependence?
_____In reviewing the outcomes of the proposed activity, are they achievable? Has achievability been discussed with the committee?
Project Continuation or Termination:
_____Have I conducted a mid-term review of project and shared the review with the MRC?
_____Has the committee decided to continue project as a new project?
_____If continuing, has the committee begun the process of writing the new project no later 15 months before the project terminates and uploaded the “Issues and Justification” in NIMSS no later than September of the year before the project will terminate?
_____For research projects, if the project number is scheduled to terminate, have I encouraged the committee to submit the termination report within 6 months of the termination date?
New Projects Only:
_____Have potential officers on the new committee been established?
_____Has a writing committee been established to begin writing the new proposal? Am I providing guidance to that committee?
_____Have I invited all station directors (both regional and national) to add participants to the new proposal?
_____Has the new proposal been submitted as final in NIMSS by the appropriate deadline?
_____Have I transmitted the MRC comments to the committee for consideration?
_____Have I requested the name of the NIFA rep to the new committee through the Partnership Office?