PERA, Purdue’s new research administration system

Beginning next fall, researchers at Purdue will have access to PERA, the Purdue Excellence in Research Administration tool. PERA is an online platform designed to simplify all processes associated with grant applications and regulatory compliance.

PERA users will benefit from the system’s transparency from proposal development and routing to contract management and negotiations. Researchers will be able to monitor where research items stand in the process and view a log of associated activities.

User feedback will be key to the success of this two-year, phased rollout. The Office of Research has established a PERA User Group to gather input from early users. “The functionality needs to adequately meet the needs of many types of users,” said Jessica Lawrence, PERA project director. “The user group will provide input throughout PERA's implementation by answering targeted questions, offering feedback and participating in testing of various system components.”

The PERA system is being implemented because:

• Purdue’s current grant management system is dated and cannot continue to adequately support the growing and complex research and regulatory landscape.
• Future growth of the research enterprise requires the latest technology.
• Current systems require multiple logins and do not integrate.

In two years when PERA is fully implemented, it will provide the following benefits:

• Integration of modules
• Unified platform for monitoring research activities
• Workflow tracking for specific activities
• Personalized inboxes to consolidate tasks
• Enhanced transparency
• Systemwide reporting
• Email notifications with direct links to the system
• System-to-system proposal submission, with automated validation checks

PERA team members are preparing the first of four modules for a targeted go-live date in September 2024. PERA’s first four modules to go live in September 2024 will address the following areas:

• Grants (pre/post award)
• Agreements
• Financial Forecasting
• Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)

A full PERA implementation timeline can be found here.

PERA team members are interested in hearing from Purdue researchers and supporting staff. If you have questions or need additional information, please email PERAComms@purdue.edu.

Additional PERA information can be found here.