We have transformed the way we do business.

The Stanford electronic Research Administration System (SeRA) is an enterprise-wide system that supports research administration at Stanford. SeRA tracks the various stages of the sponsored project lifecycle and is the institutional system of record for sponsored projects. 

SeRA Vision and Purpose

• Major administrative systems overseeing research operates cohesively
• Investigators and staff are able to effectively manage their sponsored projects from conception through closeout
• Administrative burden has been significantly reduced for investigators, departmental staff, and central offices
• Research administration processes have been streamlined to minimize inefficiencies and eliminate duplication
• Improved turnaround times, which have reduced audit risks, and are able to collect better data

The major components of SeRA are:

• Proposal Development and Routing Form (PDRF) — This online form facilitates the administration of all facets of proposal tracking: routing, approval, and submission.
• Award Processing — The award processing module tracks intake, negotiation, and acceptance of awards.
• Financial Account Setup — The Sponsored PTA Manager module enables the online creation, extension, and amendment of PTAs for sponsored projects.
• Financial Account Closeout — The Account Closeout & Reporting module (ARC) tracks the financial closeout activities related to sponsored projects.
• Subaward Processing — The subaward processing module tracks the negotiation and acceptance of contracts between Stanford & subrecipients as well as tracking the annual monitoring of subrecipients.

Features

• Helps automate and streamline research administration on campus
• Tracks the stages of the research project lifecycle from initial proposal to award closeout
• Provides data and information to support management of sponsored research projects
• System enhancements typically deployed every 10 to 12 weeks

Getting started

All users with a sponsored SUNet ID can access SeRA. There are various security roles that determine what you can view or do in the system.

If you would like departmental or central office access, please submit an Access Request.