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Research Administration Certification Series (RACS)

What is RACS?
The Research Administration Certification Series (RACS) is a program sponsored jointly by the Office of Research and Extramural Funds Accounting. It is a certificate program for UC Davis research administrators that covers both pre-award and post-award topics. The program is designed to enhance the knowledge of participants in the administration of sponsored programs. These courses will also help research administrators prepare for the Certified Research Administrator (CRA) exam available through the Research Administrators Certification Council (RACC), though the program may not cover all topics on the CRA exam. For more information about CRA certification, visit the RACC Web site.

RACS pre-award courses* include:

Course Name	Description
Introduction to Sponsored Programs	What is the Sponsored Programs Office (SPO)? When will I use SPO? What is the process of beginning work with SPO? This class will help you to understand more about this critical campus office. You will be given descriptions of the variety of types of grants and contracts that are Office of Research/SPO responsibilities. 2.5 hours, Instructor-Led Training
Proposal Preparation and Submission	This course is designed to help you to obtain the information needed to prepare and submit a proposal through the Sponsored Programs Office at UC Davis. Topics include: what you might use extramural funding for, types of sponsors, types of proposals and awards, principal investigator eligibility, understanding a call for proposals, proposal guidelines, components of a proposal, institutional forms, steps to help department research administrator, and how to submit a proposal to Sponsored Programs. 1.5 hours, eLearning or 3 hours, Instructor Led Training
Writing a Proposal Budget: Concepts	In this course, participants will learn about the components and principles of a project budget and how these lead to the development of a final proposal budget. Topics covered include: cost components that make up a budget, universal cost principles applicable to preparing project budgets, budgeting techniques and practices, calculating F&A costs, and budgeting tools and resources. 1 hour, eLearning
Writing a Proposal Budget: Lab	In this session, attendees will apply the knowledge they obtained in the online class “Writing a Proposal Budget: Concepts”. Attendees will use case studies, sample forms, and group discussion to learn how to successfully complete a proposal budget. Applied activities include topics such as determining budget categories, determining appropriate F&A rate, applying and calculating the correct F&A rate, creating a budget justification, and more! Prerequisite: Writing a Proposal Budget: Concepts OR completion of in-person Writing a Proposal Budget course in Fall 2010/Winter 2011. Participants who have not filled the prerequisite one week before the lab will be dropped from the course. 3 hours, Instructor Led Training
Understanding the Awards Process	Once a sponsor elects to fund a proposal, the review, negotiation and award acceptance process begins. This course walks you through what is happening in the Sponsored Programs Office, and what to do when the accepted agreement arrives in your office. 3 hours, Instructor Led Training

*Courses and content are subject to change.

The three core post-award courses are prerequisites for the rest of the post-award series. Once the three prerequisites have been met, the remaining post-award courses may be taken in any order. Additionally, Post Award Administration, Part I is a prerequisite for Post Award Administration, Part II.

RACS post-award courses* include:

Course Name	Description
Principles of Research Administration (core)	An overview of the research environment, roles and responsibilities, and resources for federal, state, and UC/UCD guidance. 3.5 hours; Instructor Led Training or eLearning
Post Award Administration, Part I (core)	An overview of the award lifecycle, start-up tasks for new awards, charging practices, ledger review, cost transfers, and subawards. 3.5 hours; Instructor Led Training or eLearning
Post Award Administration Part II (core)	An overview of effort commitments, cost sharing, changing awards, closeouts, and effort reporting. Prerequisite: Post Award Administration, Part I 3.5 hours; Instructor Led Training or eLearning
A-21 Costing Principles	An in-depth study that focuses on understanding and applying tests for allowability, allocability, reasonableness and consistency. Additional topics covered include distinguishing direct from indirect costs, requirements for cost transfers, and effort reporting. Prerequisite: completion of core courses 3.5 hours; Instructor Led Training or eLearning
Indirect Costs	An in-depth study that covers the practical application of budgeting and re-budgeting with indirect costs. This will be a workshop with lots of hands-on exercises. Prerequisite: completion of core courses 3.5 hours; Instructor Led Training, eLearning coming soon
Cost Sharing and Effort Commitments	An in-depth study that focuses on when effort and cost sharing commitments exist and how to quantify and properly track them. Prerequisite: completion of core courses 3.5 hours; Instructor Led Training
Financial Closeouts	An in-depth study that covers the steps involved in closing out an extramural award with emphasis on ensuring complete and accurate data in DaFIS to facilitate final financial reporting. Participants will practice using DaFIS reports to complete simple financial reports. Prerequisite: completion of core courses 3.5 hours; Instructor Led Training, eLearning coming soon

*Courses and content are subject to change.

Enroll Online at SDPS
Enroll online through the Staff Development & Professional Services UC Learning Center. You will need your campus login ID and Kerberos password to enter the system. Click on the Contracts and Grants link under Research Administration or search for the title of your class in the Search box. Find the course you wish to enroll in and click the Register button. Please contact Staff Development & Professional Services at sdps@ucdavis.edu or (530) 752-1766 if you need enrollment assistance.

Obtain a Certificate
To receive credit for each course toward the RACS certificate, candidates must take each course either in person or online. Research Administrators with sufficient experience may receive credit by passing the exams in lieu of taking each course. Exams are composed of 30 multiple-choice questions which cover the material presented in each course. To receive credit for an exam, a score of 24 or more correct answers (80%) is needed. There is a limit of two attempts for each course, after which you must complete the class.

Take Exams on SmartSite
To take an online exam:

1. Go to SmartSite.
2. Click the Login button in the upper right corner.
3. Log in using your campus user ID and Kerberos password.
4. Click on the RACS link in the header bar. If you don’t see this link, send your DaFIS user ID to dshenn@ucdavis.edu and request permission to access the site.
5. Click on Resources in the left panel to review the course materials. There is a PDF file for each course containing the presentation materials, plus other resources.
6. When you are ready to take the exam, click on Tests & Quizzes in the left panel.
7. Click on the link for the exam you wish to take.
8. Take the exam. Your score will be automatically calculated and scored with results available in the Gradebook.

For more information and helpful hints on taking exams, click here.

Join the RACS E-Mail List
Members of this e-mail list will receive important notifications from Extramural Funds Accounting about the program, including notifications when new courses are available through Staff Development and Professional Services. To subscribe or unsubscribe from this mailing list, go to the E-Mail List Subscription Management page. A valid campus user ID and Kerberos password is required.