Overview
FY26 represents the first year the Preaward Team has developed a strategic plan, reflecting our dedication to continuous improvement, operational excellence, and meaningful collaboration. The plan is grounded in our mission to guide Investigators through the grant proposal process with expertise, efficiency, and integrity, and outlines our commitment to fostering a collaborative, compliant, and impactful research environment. By aligning our efforts with the broader mission of ALVSCE, we are committed to enabling research that makes a difference—locally, nationally, and globally.
Our Mission
To support impactful research and outreach by guiding faculty and staff through the grant proposal process with expertise, efficiency, and integrity. We enable success by fostering collaboration, ensuring compliance, and advancing the division’s mission to serve Arizona and beyond.
Our Vision
To be a trusted partner in advancing innovative, interdisciplinary research and outreach that improves lives across Arizona and beyond. We envision a research environment where faculty and staff are empowered to pursue funding opportunities with confidence, supported by a preaward team known for excellence, responsiveness, and collaboration.
Goals & Objectives
- Deliver Exceptional and Timely Proposal Submission Support - Enhance the quality and efficiency of proposal submissions across ALVSCE by streamlining internal workflows, improving workload management, and leveraging tools and templates tailored to common sponsors such as NIH, NSF, and DoD.
- Build Internal Capacity to Better Support Investigators - Strengthen the team’s ability to serve ALVSCE researchers by investing in professional development and fostering a culture of continuous learning.
- Provide Targeted Education and Outreach for Stakeholders - Empower faculty and staff through needs-based training, including post-award support modules and quarterly proposal development workshops, to reduce submission errors and enhance research readiness.
- Strengthen Cross-Functional Collaboration for Seamless Grant Support - Promote a unified approach to research administration by partnering with post-award teams to develop standardized handoff processes, share expertise, and ensure consistent support throughout the grant lifecycle.
- Use Data to Drive Strategic and Operational Decision-Making - Leverage sponsor trends, performance dashboards, and internal analytics to inform planning, improve responsiveness, and support adaptive strategies aligned with evolving institutional priorities.
We will provide quarterly updates on progress towards these goals, and if you have any questions about our planning process in the meantime please reach out to annabounds@arizona.edu .