On August 9, the National Council of University Research Administrators and Eurasia Foundation swung wide the doors of the Washington Hilton’s Presidential Suite for a celebration of their new partnership linking US and Russian institutions of higher education. At this special reception held during NCURA’s Annual Conference, nearly 80 U.S. university representatives gathered to welcome the eight Russian fellows under this new joint Research Administration Initiative.
The RAI is connecting administrators from both countries committed to expanding their universities’ research capabilities and at the same time forming a combined network of research partners.
NCURA President Robert Andresen enthusiastically welcomed the new partnership’s endeavor, while EF President Horton Beebe-Center expressed gratitude to NCURA and the universities hosting their Russian colleagues. President Beebe-Center noted the warm welcome extended to the fellows by their host universities, and emphasized the importance of continued collaboration and expansion in the field of university research administration.
The following day, the fellows began their exchange visits at various US universities, including Case Western, University of Rochester, MIT, Johns Hopkins University, and University of North Carolina Wilmington. The RAI will continue in the fall with the visit of NCURA officials to Russia, and in 2017 with US fellows on reciprocal exchange visits to Russian universities.
Two Eurasia Foundation programs support this partnership with NCURA – the U.S.-Russia University Partnership Program and the U.S.-Russia Social Expertise Exchange. EF’s partner in Russia is the National Training Foundation.
Robust research administration strengthens institutions of higher education by enhancing the execution, financing, and maintenance of university research projects and programs. Well-developed research administration programs provide for an institution’s sustainability and consistency in academic output by bolstering financial support and ensuring institutional compliance. The RAI experts from both Russia and the United States to explore each other’s systems of facilitating academic research and will pave the way for continued collaboration between academic institutions internationally.
