National agency awards UR research contract
UR Research, a program initially designed to provide researchers a place to digitally store their work, has been expanded to include new features for faculty, students and the general public.
Features offered by the new software include the ability for researchers to securely store files digitally, authorize manuscripts and showcase their work. The system also allows for researchers to preserve the formatting of their documents, which is often lost when files are stored or shared using other methods such as Google Documents.
The program also allows faculty members and graduate students to create a customized researcher page, on which they can upload their resumes and research.
The changes to UR Research were initiated because of studies conducted on researching faculty members and graduate students to find out why they weren’t using the old system. The studies revealed that researchers needed a way to share their work, save different versions of manuscripts and safely share their data.
According to the team at the University’s River Campus libraries that led the changes, the revitalized program tackles all of these needs.
‘It’s a win-win relationship,” Suzanne Bell, the librarian charged with introducing the system, said. ‘Researchers get the tailor-made functions and online storage they need, Internet users get free and open access to academic research and priceless collections.”
National agency awards UR research contract
UR has been selected to receive a $3.9 million grant this year to research quick and accurate ways of measuring radiation exposure. Over the next four years, the funding could reach up to $42 million.
The contract was handed down by the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), with the intent of improving emergency care in the event of an act of terrorism or a nuclear accident.
The BARDA contract is also leading to some local job growth, as lab technicians, researchers and administrators are being hired for the project.
Justin Fleming is a member of the class of 2013.
Information courtesy of UR Communications.
