STAIR Curriculum

About the Curriculum

The STAIR curriculum, Collaborative Administration for Research Excellence Series (CARES), is a professional development initiative designed to build capacity in research administration, especially at universities with limited resources in the United States such as Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (PUIs).

The curriculum has 8 independent modules focusing on different aspects of research administration. Learners receive a certificate for each individual module they complete.

Target Audience

Early- to mid-career research administrators (RAs)
Early- to mid-career faculty members interested in pursuing grants
Senior RAs and faculty needing a refresher in research administration
People interested in exploring research administration as a future career

Module 1: Collaborative Proposal Development

Understanding the sponsored research ecosystem
Finding and interpreting funding opportunities
Developing a compelling proposal
Evaluating and assessing project components
Ensuring research integrity and compliance
Managing submission and post-submission support

Module 2: Budgeting for Sponsored Proposals

Getting started with research budgeting
Budgeting principles and categories
Personnel costs
Fringe benefits
Other direct costs
Facilities and administrative costs
eRA systems

Module 3: Research Integrity, Protections & Security

Rules, ethics & responsibilities
Responsible conduct of research (RCR) & other trainings
Understanding research misconduct
Human subjects & the institutional review board (IRB)
Animal care & use in research
Biohazard safety
Intellectual property & technology transfer
Conflict of interest
Research security, data management & international collaboration

Module 4: Human Skills for Effective Research Administration

Working with difficult colleagues
Critical conversations with PI’s and supervisors
Professional development opportunities for career advancement in Research Administration

Module 5: Contracting, Negotiating, & Funding Rules

Rules, sponsors & implications
The federal regulatory framework
Funding mechanisms & contract types
Negotiating with non-federal sponsors
Critical compliance & negotiating steps

Module 6: Personnel & Labor Rules

Different types of personnel assignments
Fringe benefit rates of different personnel classes
Resources and tools available for making effective personnel and effort decisions

Module 7: Procurement, Travel & Equipment Policies

Appropriate procurement methods for making purchases
Differences between purchased services, consulting, and subcontracting
Compliance with travel policies
Policies and procedures regarding equipment

Module 8: Account Management

Fundamental principles of research accounting
Setting up accounts for pre-award costs
Transactions
Cost share
Invoicing
Financial Reporting
Resources for tracking PI spending

Current Stats

215 Unique Learners

192 Module Certificates

61 Institutions Reached

Locations: 0

Sort by

STAIR Certified Professionals

2D graphic of one person helping another person up a flight of stairs.

2D graphic of a bag of money with a target next to it.

2D graphic of a lock with signal waves coming out of it.

2D icon of a person giving a financial presentation

2D icon of a manager and three employees

2D image of a person with a suitcase and a globe icon

Countdown Until Module 8!

Days

Hours

Minutes

Seconds

Curriculum Trailer

CARES Curriculum Trailer Transcript

Welcome to CARES, the Collaborative Administration for Research Excellence Series.

CARES goes beyond the basics, building the knowledge and confidence research professionals need for real world research administration.

Eight focused modules show how proposal work actually happens, shaped by experts for research administrators and faculty across career stages. You’ll receive a certificate for each module you complete.

You’ll learn through concise, focused instruction that breaks down key concepts clearly.

You’ll engage with realistic research administration scenarios, involving judgment and ethics.

You’ll use knowledge checks and reflections to build confidence.

CARES helps you do your work with greater clarity and confidence; within the research ecosystem you support every day.

Learn. Lead. Excel. Enroll in the CARES course and get certified today!

Curriculum Background

CARES builds on the success of Penn State’s long-standing ACES (ACOR Certification and Education Series) program, which has trained nearly 1,000 research administrators (RAs) over the past two decades. Developed by the ACOR leadership and administered by the Office for Research Protections (ORP), ACES has become a trusted internal training program for Penn State RAs, offering a comprehensive, semester-long curriculum covering the full research support process.

CARES adapts and expands the ACES model into a flexible, inclusive, and open-access curriculum designed to meet the needs of institutions with fewer resources and limited RA staffing. The curriculum is restructured into eight distinct modules, each focusing on a core area of research administration. Each module can be taken independently over a self-paced three-week period (or longer) to accommodate the scheduling constraints frequently faced by RAs. Topics such as contracting, negotiations, and Uniform Guidance are further divided into two tracks to support deeper understanding.

The STAIR CARES aims to strengthen the national pipeline of skilled research administrators by offering a universally adapted curriculum that addresses the needs of under-resourced institutions and provides a path toward professional certification in research administration.

STAIR Curriculum

STAIR Curriculum

About the Curriculum

Module 1: Collaborative Proposal Development

Module 2: Budgeting for Sponsored Proposals

Module 3: Research Integrity, Protections & Security

Module 4: Human Skills for Effective Research Administration