New AI-powered tools to streamline research administration available

Boise State University researchers and administrators have a new, powerful ally in managing complex research administration tasks. BRAINS (Bolstering Research Administration with Intelligent Systems) is a growing suite of AI-powered tools designed to save time, reduce errors and simplify processes ranging from proposal preparation to post-award management.

Developed through the Boise State Division of Research and Economic Development, the BRAINS suite of tools is available publicly, and those interested can view demo videos for each course to better understand what research administration task each tool tackles.

"These tools are designed to be implemented easily by research administrators without a technical background," said Matt Smith, associate vice president of research enterprise services.

With BRAINS, research staff can:

• Accelerate contract reviews: The Agreement Review Companion course enables users to build AI assistants that review terms against institutional policies, suggest redlines and rationales and add margin comments for counterparties - helping to transform contract negotiations.

• Simplify award setup: The Award Review Checklist tools extract and organize critical award data - including sponsor details, project periods, indirect cost rates, reporting requirements and applicable FAR clauses - creating post-award guides for compliance and administration.

• Streamline proposal preparation: The Solicitation Checklist course helps researchers quickly parse dense funding solicitations, such as NASA ROSES, to identify submission requirements, budgets, eligibility criteria, collaboration elements and evaluation standards - reducing administrative burdens and freeing time for strategy and team-building.

All BRAINS tools are available through BroncoLearn within the Office of Technology Transfer. Staff can take brief online courses, download step-by-step setup instructions, and start using AI today to simplify research administration.

The Division of Research and Economic Development is committed to cultivating an environment where education through research, scholarly endeavor and creative activity thrives, providing support for faculty, staff and student research and creative activity. The division guides research strategic directions, manages the university's intellectual property portfolio, facilitates relationships with stakeholders, and leads economic development and innovation. Learn more at BoiseState.edu/research.

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