Three years on from its launch in 2023, the UAB Research Strategic Initiative has reached an important transition point. This campuswide effort has led to improvements in operations, infrastructure, tools and coordination that have set a new standard for how UAB supports investigators and their work.
As a part of this transition, the governance structures set up to enable the goals of the Research Strategic Initiative have concluded their temporary charges. The Executive Steering Committee and seven working groups helped advance priorities, support implementation, strengthen coordination, and position UAB for continued progress through established operational and governance channels.
“Our progress through the Research Strategic Initiative reflects the commitment of many faculty, staff, administrators and leaders who contributed their time, expertise and perspectives,” said UAB President Ray Watts, M.D. “I extend sincere thanks to the working group co-chairs and members, the Executive Steering Committee and all the partners who helped strengthen the foundation for continued research progress at UAB.”
With many efforts now implemented or integrated into ongoing operations, the next phase of the Research Strategic Initiative will focus on sustaining momentum, learning from researcher feedback and maintaining accountability through established owners and governance pathways.
From initiative to institutional practice
The Research Strategic Initiative has set the stage for the next era of research excellence at UAB by investing in people, technology, infrastructure and facilities. Among other accomplishments, the initiative has:
- Invested in recruitment and retention. The RSI Faculty Recruitment Fund has committed $11.2 million as of July 2026 to help departments attract and retain high-impact research talent.
- Reduced delays and improved predictability to continue research momentum. Researchers now have faster, more reliable pathways for moving studies, agreements and compliance steps forward. Comparing July 2026 data to figures prior to the start of the initiative, initial IRB review times have dropped from about 60 days to 8.5 days, Research Conflict of Interest reviews have dropped from about 15 days to less than one day, and Clinical Trial Agreement turnarounds are down to 67 days.
Research expenditures for fiscal year 2025 reached $915 million, up from $866 million in fiscal year 2024. While expenditures often reflect work that develops over time, this continued strength reinforces the importance of reliable research administration infrastructure and coordinated support for researchers. - Created a stronger foundation for connected research administration. The myUABResearch electronic research administration platform and myResearch portal have brought critical tools, updates, dashboards, training and support into more accessible systems, with continued attention to user experience, adoption and researcher feedback.
- Made clinical trials support easier to navigate. More coordinated support for agreements, budgeting, billing and regulatory processes through the Academic Research Organization for Clinical Trials (ARO-CT) structure is helping study teams move work forward more smoothly and sustain growth in industry-sponsored clinical trial activity.
- Improved transparency through dashboards. The RSI dashboards, including the Research Operations Dashboard and Clinical Trials Dashboard, are giving leaders and research teams clearer visibility into trends, progress and opportunities for continued improvement, supporting more informed planning and decision-making.
- Expanded hands-on research development support. The Research Development Office, including the CARE (Council of Advocates for Research Excellence) community of practice, is strengthening support for competitive opportunities at UAB. CARE has expanded to nearly 90 members and the Research Development Office supports team science, supplemental funding, consultations, and limited submissions.
- Strengthened communication and readiness. Ongoing outreach through leadership meetings, targeted updates, office hours, town halls, websites and the Research Matters and eReporter emails are helping researchers and administrators understand changes and access support.
- Strengthened research security and federal directive response. Working Group 7 has helped UAB respond to federal directives and strengthen research security by reviewing 160 federal directives and referring 116 to the appropriate offices for action or monitoring. This coordination has supported UAB’s broader federal response and advocacy efforts, including institutional efforts related to delayed grants and continued research continuity.
What comes next
Continued priorities for the Research Strategic Initiative include support for myUABResearch and the My Research Portal; research agreements and clinical trial operations; research development; research data, technology and computing needs; RSI dashboards; and ongoing engagement with faculty, researchers, administrators and institutional leaders.
Working Group 7 will remain active to continue supporting UAB’s federal directive response, research security and cybersecurity compliance needs.