Research at UCT continues to grow year-on-year: every year, more research contracts are signed and the number of postgraduates and postdoctoral fellows continues to grow. UCT continues to increase our publication count and attract more donations and funding. At the same time, the business of research management is rapidly changing with the exponential growth of big data, open access and international collaboration. Furthermore, universities face additional challenges as governments restrict research funding and donors demand more from research groups. It is clear that supporting the research enterprise of a university is becoming an increasingly complex task. 

In order to remain on top of our game and continue to make our mark both locally and internationally, UCT has implemented an electronic research administration (eRA) system.

What the eRA system means for researchers

As the diagram to the left shows, eRA will provide researchers with:

eRA Process Diagram
Click on diagram to download a pdf version.

 

  •  a ‘one-stop shop’ to manage and track the administrative workflow within a project lifecycle and beyond 

  • software that guides them from the point where an idea is born and a funding opportunity identified, through to post-publication with automatic CV updates 

  • streamlined and automated workflows, where the all parties involved – including finance and research contracts – are automatically notified of a project application coming their way 

  • the opportunity to track their applications through the automated process, reducing the risk of an application lying unseen in an inbox 

  • enable researchers to keep on top of their contract compliance requirements. Through its online portal, researchers can create and manage their CV which they can draw on to apply for grants and funding and use to create a publicly visible profile. 

What the eRA system means for the university

eRA allows UCT to offer more comprehensive research support and more efficient administration. The eRA system will allow for: 

  • improved strategic understanding of all research 

  • improved ability to track research impact and collaborations 

  • reduced financial risk through improved financial controls 

  • improved support for researchers, including proposal development, and 

  • better management of data, analytics and reporting to support strategic decision-making and control. 

Managing your grant applications and approvals via eRA

For a visual, step-by-step and interactive PDF guide of how to manage your grant applications and approvals via the eRA System, click here or on the image below.

Managing your grant applications and approvals via eRA