Auburn University completes Endeavor system implementation

Auburn University has completed implementation of its Endeavor system for electronic research administration. After several years of strategic planning and evaluation of various vendor solutions, the university entered a new phase of research administration and compliance in February 2023 by executing a software-as-a-service contract with the Huron Consulting Group to implement their cloud-based suite of software solutions. The implementation of Endeavor is an important element in the overall business modernization activities of the university’s strategic plan. 

In two and a half years, six major modules have successfully launched, marking the completion of the Endeavor implementation phase. (While an animal operations module was initially planned, Auburn will not implement it at this time.) The implementation was completed ahead of schedule and within the established budget.

This milestone reflects the collaboration, expertise and hard work of everyone involved in this ambitious project to streamline research administrative processes and enhance compliance activities. 

Below is an overview of the modules launched, including their go-live dates and the key functions they support: 

• Conflict of Interest (COI), including preapproval for consulting and extramural activities (PAR) (live as of January 2024)
  • Captures significant financial interests of employees
  • Captures outside interactions of employees with emphasis on special concerns such as foreign engagements, equity ownership and compensation
  • Allows the creation and monitoring of COI management plans
  • Provides preapproval process for consulting and other outside engagements 

• Institutional Review Board for Human Subjects Research, including a toolkit to assist the university in becoming AAHRPP accredited (IRB) (live as of August 2024)
  • Allows for creation, submission, routing, review, conversation and approval of human subject research protocols following system-provided templates and forms 

• Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) (live as of January 2025)
  • Allows for creation, submission, routing, review, conversation and approval of biological use agreements using system-provided forms and standardized choices 

• Grants and Agreements (G&A) (live as of January 2025)
  • Allows for creation and submission of proposals to outside funding agencies
  • Allows system-to-system proposal submission to federal opportunities hosted in Grants.gov
  • Provides the ability to accept, negotiate and process new sponsored awards and modifications
  • Supports financial and non-financial agreements such as non-disclosure agreements, material transfer agreements and data use agreements, among others
  • Integrates with the COI, IRB, IBC and IACUC modules to facilitate reviews of compliance activities associated with sponsored projects
  • Provides online standardization of the subaward process and data collection 

• Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) (live as of July 2025)
  • Allows for creation, submission, routing, review, conversation and approval of institutional animal care and use protocols using system-provided forms, specific protocol team or standard library of procedures, species and substances 

Endeavor provides a unified platform for managing research activities, offering users a personalized inbox with their pending activities. The system provides graphical workflows for users to easily see where their projects are in the review and approval chain. The system also sends email notifications to users that link directly to actions requiring attention. Ease of navigation, online document creation and central location of all activities are primary benefits of this new product. 

The Electronic Research Administration Unit (ERA) of the Office of the Senior Vice President for Research and Economic Development (OSVPRED) led the implementation of each module in collaboration with subject matter experts (SMEs) from other units within the OSVPRED and the campus community at large. ERA continues to provide support, user education and resources to facilitate a smooth transition and ongoing system use. 

A support ticket system is available for users that require assistance related to system functionality. While not experts in the subject matter of each module, the ERA team can provide quick assistance related to Endeavor functionality and assist in contacting the appropriate SME when topical questions arise. 

The support system is located at https://aub.ie/endeavorsupport. Users can identify the module for which they need assistance and the specifics of the assistance needed, as well as provide enhancement ideas for making the system more user-friendly or effective.  

As they learn to use the new system, users are encouraged to communicate openly and often with the ERA unit.