Evaluation of the Minerva Research Initiative (2020)
Chapter: Appendix F: Survey of Administrators of Sponsored Research
Appendix F
Survey of Administrators of Sponsored Research
DATA COLLECTION METHODS
The survey of administrators of sponsored research was a census of 222 administrators at academic institutions with “highest research activity” and “higher research activity” based on the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The person asked to complete the survey was the director of the office of sponsored programs (or equivalent) at universities where a position of this type existed. In cases where this position did not exist, the vice president for research or dean of research was contacted. The survey was conducted by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago between August 17 and October 1, 2018. Individuals selected to participate received an email invitation to complete the survey via web. Reminders were also sent by email. Of the 222 cases, 88 completed the survey, and an additional 18 submitted partially completed surveys. The completion rate was 48 percent. For further discussion of the survey of administrators of sponsored research, see Chapter 2.
FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTIONS
All results reported here show percentages among all respondents, unless otherwise noted. SKP refers to items skipped by the respondent. The survey was designed to allow respondents to skip any item they did not wish to answer. In the case of questions with a series of “Yes/No” items, missing responses were recoded as “No” in cases in which the respondent selected at least one “Yes” response (see Chapter 2 for additional detail).
Q1. How familiar are you with the Minerva Research Initiative, the Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) grant program for unclassified basic social science research?
| Extremely familiar | 1 |
| Very familiar | 3 |
| Moderately familiar | 22 |
| Not too familiar | 34 |
| Not familiar at all | 40 |
| SKP | - |
N=88
If Q1 = Extremely, Very, Moderately, or Not too familiar
Q2. Have you or your colleagues had any experience working with Minerva grants at this institution?
| Yes | 21 |
| No | 79 |
| SKP | - |
N=53
Q3. Have you or your colleagues at this institution had experience working with any of the following other unclassified federal social, psychological, and economic sciences grant programs:
| Yes | No | SKP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Science Foundation grants | 99 | - | 1 |
| Department of Homeland Security grants | 65 | 34 | 1 |
| Grants, other than Minerva, from the DoD service branches (e.g., Air Force, Army, or Navy) | 90 | 9 | 1 |
| Other DoD grants, please specify | 56 | 43 | 1 |
| Other federal grants, please specify | 73 | 26 | 1 |
N=88
If Q2 = Yes AND Q3a = Yes
Q4. How do the following aspects of the Minerva grant program compare to National Science Foundation grants?
[HALF SAMPLE ASKED RESPONSE OPTIONS IN REVERSE ORDER]
| Much/Somewhat more challenging | Much more challenging | Somewhat more challenging | About the same | Somewhat less challenging | Much less challenging | Much/Somewhat less challenging | Unable to compare this aspect | SKP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proposal submission process and requirements | 64 | 18 | 45 | 18 | - | - | - | 9 | 9 |
| Communication during the proposal stage | 36 | 9 | 27 | 36 | - | - | - | 27 | - |
| Post-award grant management (e.g., incremental funding, modifications, no cost extensions, compliance with terms and conditions, etc.) | 64 | 18 | 45 | 27 | 9 | - | 9 | - | - |
| Financial and narrative reporting requirements | 45 | - | 45 | 36 | 9 | 9 | 18 | - | - |
| Post-award communication | 27 | - | 27 | 55 | 9 | 9 | 18 | - | - |
| Other award characteristics (e.g., indirect costs, etc.) | 27 | - | 27 | 64 | - | 9 | 9 | - | - |
N=11
If Q2 = Yes AND Q3b = Yes
Q5. How do the following aspects of the Minerva grant program compare to Department of Homeland Security grants?
[HALF SAMPLE ASKED RESPONSE OPTIONS IN REVERSE ORDER]
| Much/Somewhat more challenging | Much more challenging | Somewhat more challenging | About the same | Somewhat less challenging | Much less challenging | Much/Somewhat less challenging | Unable to compare this aspect | SKP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proposal submission process and requirements | 14 | - | 14 | 43 | 14 | 14 | 29 | 14 | - |
| Communication during the proposal stage | 14 | 14 | - | 43 | 14 | 14 | 29 | 14 | - |
| Post-award grant management (e.g., incremental funding, modifications, no cost extensions, compliance with terms and conditions, etc.) | 29 | 14 | 14 | 29 | 29 | 14 | 43 | - | - |
| Financial and narrative reporting requirements | 29 | 14 | 14 | 29 | 29 | 14 | 43 | - | - |
| Post-award communication | 14 | 14 | - | 43 | 29 | 14 | 43 | - | - |
| Other award characteristics (e.g., indirect costs, etc.) | 29 | 14 | 14 | 29 | 29 | 14 | 43 | - | - |
N=7
If Q2 = Yes AND Q3c = Yes
Q6. How do the following aspects of the Minerva grant program compare to grants from other DoD service branches (e.g., Air Force, Army, or Navy)?
[HALF SAMPLE ASKED RESPONSE OPTIONS IN REVERSE ORDER]
| Much/Somewhat more challenging | Much more challenging | Somewhat more challenging | About the same | Somewhat less challenging | Much less challenging | Much/Somewhat less challenging | Unable to compare this aspect | SKP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proposal submission process and requirements | 18 | 9 | 9 | 64 | 9 | - | 9 | 9 | - |
| Communication during the proposal stage | 9 | 9 | - | 64 | 9 | - | 9 | 9 | 9 |
| Post-award grant management (e.g., incremental funding, modifications, no cost extensions, compliance with terms and conditions, etc.) | 9 | 9 | - | 64 | 27 | - | 27 | - | - |
| Financial and narrative reporting requirements | 9 | 9 | 0 | 73 | 18 | - | 18 | - | - |
| Post-award communication | 18 | 9 | 9 | 64 | 18 | - | 18 | - | - |
| Other award characteristics (e.g., indirect costs, etc.) | 18 | 9 | 9 | 64 | 18 | - | 18 | - | - |
N=11
Q7. Describe any changes you would like to see to the Minerva grant program.
[OPEN-ENDED RESPONSE]
For discussion of the results, see report text.
If Q3a = Yes AND (Q3c = Yes or Q3d = Yes)
Q8. How do the following aspects of DoD grant programs in general compare to NSF grants?
[HALF SAMPLE ASKED RESPONSE OPTIONS IN REVERSE ORDER]
| Much/Somewhat more challenging | Much more challenging | Somewhat more challenging | About the same | Somewhat less challenging | Much less challenging | Much/Somewhat less challenging | Unable to compare this aspect | SKP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proposal submission process and requirements | 75 | 29 | 46 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 6 | - |
| Communication during the proposal stage | 51 | 14 | 37 | 32 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 10 | - |
| Post-award grant management (e.g., incremental funding, modifications, no cost extensions, compliance with terms and conditions, etc.) | 72 | 32 | 41 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 6 | - |
| Financial and narrative reporting requirements | 58 | 23 | 35 | 28 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 9 | - |
| Post-award communication | 56 | 16 | 39 | 30 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 1 |
| Other award characteristics (e.g., indirect costs, etc.) | 47 | 14 | 33 | 46 | 1 | - | 1 | 5 | 1 |
N=79
If Q3b = Yes AND (Q3c = Yes or Q3d = Yes)
Q9. How do the following aspects of DoD grant programs in general compare to Department of Homeland Security grants?
[HALF SAMPLE ASKED RESPONSE OPTIONS IN REVERSE ORDER]
| Much/Somewhat more challenging | Much more challenging | Somewhat more challenging | About the same | Somewhat less challenging | Much less challenging | Much/Somewhat less challenging | Unable to compare this aspect | SKP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proposal submission process and requirements | 15 | 7 | 7 | 48 | 17 | 2 | 19 | 17 | 2 |
| Communication during the proposal stage | 11 | 6 | 6 | 56 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 20 | 2 |
| Post-award grant management (e.g., incremental funding, modifications, no cost extensions, compliance with terms and conditions, etc.) | 15 | 6 | 9 | 54 | 13 | - | 13 | 17 | 2 |
| Financial and narrative reporting requirements | 13 | 6 | 7 | 52 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 20 | 2 |
| Post-award communication | 11 | 2 | 9 | 56 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 20 | 2 |
| Other award characteristics (e.g., indirect costs, etc.) | 9 | 2 | 7 | 59 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 19 | 2 |
N=54
Q10. Describe any changes you would like to see to DoD grant programs in general.
[OPEN-ENDED RESPONSE]
| Coded Open-Ended Responses, Summary Coding Scheme | |
|---|---|
| Standardization of reporting/administrative requirements across DoD grant programs | 14 |
| Better IT systems for grant management | 14 |
| Other | 13 |
| Simpler/better guidance for application, invoicing, and reporting | 10 |
| More transparency around expectations | 8 |
| Less burdensome post-award management | 4 |
| Fewer restrictions on the use of funding | 3 |
| Better publication of funding opportunities | 1 |
| SKP | 59 |
N=79
Q11. Aside from DoD, are you aware of agencies or organizations that provide grants for unclassified research in the social, psychological and economic sciences on topics relevant to national security (regardless of whether your institution has received such grants)?
| Yes | 35 |
| No | 63 |
| SKP | 2 |
N=88
If Q11 = Yes
Q12. What other agencies or organizations are you aware of that provide grants for unclassified research in the social, psychological and economic sciences on topics relevant to national security?
[OPEN-ENDED RESPONSE]
| Coded Open-Ended Responses, Summary Coding Scheme | |
|---|---|
| Department of Homeland Security | 26 |
| Other | 26 |
| National Science Foundation | 19 |
| Department of Justice | 16 |
| National Institute of Health | 10 |
| Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity | 6 |
| National Security Agency | 6 |
| SKP | 35 |
N=31
Q13. Which statement best describes your opinion, even if neither is exactly right.
| Most people at my institution have favorable views of conducting unclassified national security research in general. | 66 |
| Most people at my institution have unfavorable views of conducting unclassified national security research in general. | 11 |
| Don’t know. | 23 |
| SKP | - |
N=88
Q14. Which statement best describes your opinion, even if neither is exactly right.
| Most social, psychological, and economic sciences faculty members at my institution have favorable views of conducting unclassified national security research in general. | 49 |
| Most social, psychological, and economic sciences faculty members at my institution have unfavorable views of conducting unclassified national security research in general. | 11 |
| Don’t know. | 40 |
| SKP | - |
N=88
Q14a. Please provide any additional details about the views of social, psychological, and economic sciences faculty on conducting unclassified national security research.
For discussion of the results, see report text.
Q15. How could DoD cultivate greater interest among young scholars in working with DoD on unclassified social, psychological, and economic sciences research relevant to national security?
[OPEN-ENDED RESPONSE]
| Coded Open-Ended Responses, Detailed Coding Scheme | |
|---|---|
| Greater visibility/awareness | 15 |
| Other | 14 |
| Opportunities for junior faculty and doctoral awards | 10 |
| Campus visits | 9 |
| More support for proposals/simpler proposal process | 7 |
| More resources to promote DoD opportunities | 6 |
| More webinars | 5 |
| Increase presence at conferences | 3 |
| Broaden type of research accepted | 2 |
| SKP | 53 |
N=88
| Coded Open-Ended Responses, Summary Coding Scheme | |
|---|---|
| Outreach | 20 |
| Other | 20 |
| Opportunities for junior scholars | 10 |
| SKP | 53 |
N=88
If Q1 = Extremely, Very, Moderately, or Not too familiar
Q16. Do you have any other comments for consideration by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine committee tasked with evaluating the Minerva Research Initiative?
For discussion of the results, see report text.
