The University’s Research Management Project team are working on the introduction of the new cloud-based system called Worktribe.Worktribe will support research staff and academics through the pre-award grant application process, including costing, proposal development, internal approvals, and application submission,as well as providing a platform for managing the negotiation and agreement of research contracts.
The Research Management System (RMS) project is a part of the University’s Capital programme, and is a key pillar supporting the Research with Impact strategy workstream.
This week sees the official start of the rollout process, to colleagues in Research & Enterprise Services (RES) as well as research project approvers in Schools, Finance and Technical Services, who will be using the system for the very first time.
For colleagues involved in research, there will be some small changes to the research application process in May for an interim period; proformas and contract requests are to be submitted to RES or Research Development Managers (RDMs) via email as usual, who will upload the research project details to Worktribe. RES colleagues or the RDM will continue communication via email, but these conversations will now be uploaded to Worktribe to evidence changes to the application before it is submitted for approval.The approvals process itself will be conducted within the Worktribe system. RES staff or the RDM will update Principle Investigators (PIs) and any other staff involved in the research of the approval progress via email.
Through June and July, the rollout of Worktribe will continue to Academic and Professional Services research support staff.The project team will hold briefings, system demos, and drop-in sessions to support adoption of this new system. There will also be training modules available for staff to complete before being granted access to Worktribe.
The benefits of Worktribe
The new Worktribe system aims to streamline research application processes for staff involved in research around the University of Sussex. Benefits of the system will include;
- A shared platform for Academic and Professional Services colleagues for proposal development and management
- A project costing tool
- Enabling the capture of internal peer reviews.
Claire Potter, Senior Responsible Officer for the RMS project said;
“Reaching the first stage of the Worktribe system rollout is a fantastic achievement for the project team and an excellent springboard as we work towards a full rollout by October 2024. Once the rollout is complete, the new system will provide a more streamlined and efficient system for staff involved in research, which will make daily work processes significantly easier, as well as improving collaboration on research proposals across the University."
Find out more
If you are yet to be updated regarding system access, rest assured that you will be contacted directly in due course. In the meantime, any questions should be directed to worktribe@sussex.ac.uk.
You can read more about the project on our Research Management System webpages.