Frequently Asked Questions

PERA is an integrated software platform that simplifies multiple grant and regulatory-related processes. This new software platform represents Purdue’s first fully integrated research administration system and will replace several disparate systems.

PERA has many benefits:

• Provides unified platform for managing and monitoring research projects
• Enhances transparency for the Purdue research community
• Automates research administration business processes
• Provides dashboard with centralized and consolidated information
• Automates workflow, routing, approvals and communication

The first four modules anticipated to go live in October 2024 are: Grants (Pre/Post Award), Agreements, Financial Forecasting, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC)

Many of our current systems that are used to manage research and regulatory activities do not reflect the state-of-the-art innovation that is available with today’s technology, and they hinder our ability to grow the research enterprise. Furthermore, these antiquated systems cannot handle today’s ever evolving compliance environment which puts the university at risk for non-compliance.

Purdue faculty, staff, and researchers will use PERA to manage their sponsored research and regulatory activities.

PERA User Group members will provide input on targeted design questions, receive regular updates from the project team, have the opportunity to participate in testing, and act as project champions with their peers. For additional information, contact jlawrenc@purdue.edu.

The implementation project is underway now. A phased go live of multiple modules will begin October 2024 through October 2025.

PERA will facilitate greater transparency and provide a platform of interconnected modules to see the entire grant picture, enabling users to track their activity from proposals, to award, through closeout. More communication can occur within the PERA system as information is integrated across the modules.

In addition to the Grants module, the following modules are scheduled to be implemented in stages beginning in October 2024 and continuing through Fall of 2025: Agreements, Financial Forecasting, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), Export Control, Safety Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC), Conflict of Interest (COI) and Conflict of Commitment (COC), and Institutional Review Board (IRB).

Yes, the PERA team is developing help text embedded on each form and screen to aid users in navigating through all the PERA modules and adding important information to assist users with their questions and guide them through each step of the process.

Yes, the training team is developing training resources, including quick user guides, reference materials, and pre-recorded and in-person training sessions. Specialists will also be available during office hours and the help desk to answer questions and assist users.

Submitting project goals and objectives at the beginning can save users time when preparing future, current and pending/other support documents (one of the required fields). This new field option is one of the ways that the PERA system will save the user time and effort by eliminating the need to provide the same information on multiple occasions. If a user does not have the goals and objectives at this stage, it can be edited at any time during the proposal development process. Additional help text will also be incorporated to guide the user through this step.

Known information about the investigator will be prepopulated and editable.  In many cases a question previously answered will appear as a populated answer later in the process.  Unfortunately, many of the compliance questions will not be pre-populated because they must be answered and certified for each unique proposal.  This is also true for other modules as well.  Users will have the opportunity to collaborate with their assigned pre-award specialist to complete the funding proposal and to assist with answering questions along the way.  Users will have the ability, in some cases, to copy and update previous proposals that are in their dashboard to save time.

In some cases, a no answer to one question eliminates conditional questions so that they do not appear and do not require an answer.  However, there are a number of mandatory questions that must be asked to ensure compliance with federal and sponsor requirements.  The PERA team has reduced the number of the questions currently required on the proposal worksheet in the Proposal Information Portal (PIP).  You can be assured that each question posed has a specific need for asking and a specific action taken based on the answers provided.  Some questions enable system-to-system functionality and pre-populate required forms, others route or provide information about the proposal to other individuals who will engage based on the answer provided, while others gather key information required for institutional certification and overall compliance.  The time to complete the questions is estimated to take 15-30 minutes depending on the complexity of the project and/or size of the project team. Each resubmission, revision (supplemental funding request), renewal, and continuation will utilize data and answers from the original submission requiring only a subset of questions to be answered.

Yes, the PERA system allows the assigned administrator to see what has been started and track where the proposal is in the process. This will be visible to the researcher as well.  Pre-Award staff will continue to follow up with faculty if additional steps need to be taken to ensure the proposal is submitted on time.

Yes, some of the added capabilities of the PERA system are that you can communicate right in the system and the communications are visible and retained for historical tracking. PERA users can continue to communicate via the channel that they find most comfortable. Email, Teams, or the PERA comment feature can all be used for communicating with Pre-Award staff. 

Yes, the cloud-based PERA system at Purdue has security measures in place, including login controls and role-based access. Purdue IT Security has been involved from the RFP stage in evaluating the product. PERA has the necessary level of security that is required by Purdue. PERA will operate like a lot of our other systems and software. PERA does not provide the same level of security as systems handling controlled or classified information. For sensitive research projects, additional security measures may be necessary.

PERA is designed to enhance visibility across all of the research community. Every employee and student will have access to PERA, similar to the current role-based structure in Coeus. While general access allows users to view projects they are involved in as well as activities within the Business Office and Dean’s Office, the ability to edit or view detailed information on specific awards is restricted. Such access is granted exclusively by the principal investigator of each award. This ensures that marketing and communications personnel in academic departments can gauge the extent of research activities, while maintaining the integrity and confidentiality of project details.

No, PERA does not have any unique or notable features for managing public private partnerships. PERA is designed for tracking grants and grant-related partnerships, which are integral components of institutional research endeavors.

No, PERA is not part of the P&T system. PERA will not have any impact on the Elements system. Elements receives award and portfolio information through the Sponsored Program Services data and support team. PERA will serve as the definitive source for feeding data to Elements, ensuring that while they are complementary systems, they remain connected.

Yes, delegation of access to an operations manager is possible. However, it’s important to note that any principal investigator certifications must still be completed by the principal investigator themselves. Ensuring the correct role is assigned to the proxy will enable them to either have viewing rights or editing rights.

Yes, either the principal investigator or a designated proxy has the authority to grant access to the proposal for multiple individuals. They can assign administrative readers (for viewing access) or administrative editors on a per-proposal basis.

Yes, you can have multiple proxies. For those needing access for several individuals, designating them as administrative editors or readers might be more effective. We understand the importance of familiarizing users with the functionality of assigning roles, whether as a reader, editor, or proxy. To ensure effective use of the system, comprehensive training will be provided to cover these aspects in depth.

The PERA team is working on a Pre-Award migration strategy to migrate submitted pending proposals. Contracts that are expired will not migrate to PERA. Pending agreements will migrate with the most recent contracting document. Active protocols will migrate to PERA so a researcher can create and submit amendments on these. Active awards will migrate to PERA; however, the award documents will not migrate and will remain housed within Perceptive Content.

PERA is designed as an integrated system. By consolidating research proposals, awards, protocols, and related communications in one place, PERA eliminates the need to search through multiple platforms. This not only saves time but also fosters a more efficient and cohesive process. With all necessary information and communication channels housed within PERA, faculty members can expect a smoother, more integrated experience.

No, PERA is not designed to submit technical reports. However, PERA significantly aids the reporting process by generating 90-, 60-, and 30-day notices to researchers reminding them of upcoming report deadlines. This reminder functionality is one of the key benefits introduced with PERA, helping ensure timely compliance with reporting requirements.

PERA is not designed for individual project projections. AIMS and Cognos will remain as the systems for providing visibility into grant account information and balances. For specific grant projections, reliance on Business Offices will remain necessary.

PERA is not a financial system, so it will not replace SAP. PERA will integrate with SAP. But the source of financial data will remain SAP for the foreseeable future. AIMS enhancements are being considered in parallel with the PERA rollout, but these systems are separate.

After reviewing Huron’s Employee Compensation Compliance module, we found it doesn’t meet our current needs. SEEMLESS will continue to handle these functions while we monitor Huron for future updates.

The data you use from Cognos to track award dollars will continue to be available in Cognos. It remains the primary source for your financial information. If you are running queries, you can still use AIMS. It’s important to note that SAP continues to be our core financial system, and the tools you are accustomed to, including Cognos and AIMS, will still be your gateway to access the Business Intelligence (BI) system for financial data.

While investigators will still need initial assistance from Pre-Award teams for budget creation, the new Excel tool will facilitate subsequent adjustments. This tool provides a spreadsheet template with built-in formulas, allowing investigators to easily modify figures and see automatic updates to the total budget. Although the complexities of salary budgeting may still require expert input, this tool simplifies the process of making changes, reducing the need for constant back-and-forth communication.

No, limited submissions will remain in InfoReady.

Faculty will no longer use the Proposal Information Portal (PIP) and will transition to using the PERA system for all proposal-related activities. The PIP will be decommissioned with the launch of PERA. The current upfront questions in PIP will be replaced by smart forms in PERA. The project teams are evaluating the built-in questions to ensure they align with the university’s needs and drive the system’s functionality effectively

The proxy is assigned on a per proposal basis. The responsibility of a PI and Co-PI for making certain certifications cannot be delegated to a proxy.

The new IACUC module in the PERA system offers significant enhancements over the COEUS system. It reduces the labor-intensive process by introducing smart forms that intuitively guide users through protocol questions, streamlining the submission process. Unlike the static PDF or Word documents used in COEUS, PERA’s smart forms adapt to the user’s input, making it easier to complete the necessary information. Additionally, PERA boasts seamless integration with CITI training, automatically importing completion records into the IACUC module. This integration ensures that all relevant training information is readily accessible and linked to your regulatory activities, further simplifying compliance management.

To ensure a smooth transition, we are planning an extensive training campaign prior to the system’s go-live date. This will provide all SPS and Business Office staff members with ample opportunity to familiarize themselves with the system and gain confidence in its use, so they are prepared to work with researchers. All training materials will be accessible to the research community on the PERA website.