Early Bird Registration ENDS June 1st. Register now and save!

Conference at a Glance

Conference Registration and Schedule at a Glance

July 20-21, 2026 CONFERENCE "NAVIGATING THE RESEARCH RAPIDS" UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Registration Fees for the NC RAA 2026 Conference

2 Full Days, 1 Low Price

$250 - Early Bird Registration through 6/1/26
$300- Regular General Conference Registration through 7/19/26
$325- On-site/day of Conference Registration 7/20/26 & 7/21/26
$150- Fully Retired Conference Registration
- - Participants must be fully retired and not working in any other full‑time role to qualify as a fully retired registrant
All registrants will need to create an IRIS account from Appalachian State University in order to login to the registration site. Follow the setup instructions from the appropriate registration link below.

Please note we do not have hotel reserved room blocks. There are many hotels in the area for you to choose from.

Individual Registration

To register 1 attendee click above.

If needed use code: 26NCRAA

Group Registration

To register multiple attendees with same payment method click above.

If needed use code: 26NCRAAGROUP

Venue & Accommodations

Building on Our 2025 Success

We are excited to share that planning is already underway for our 2026 NC RAA Annual Conference, building on the momentum and impact of our highly successful 2025 program. Last year’s event brought together leaders, innovators, and practitioners from across our community to explore emerging trends, share best practices, and highlight groundbreaking work happening across our organization.

For 2026, we are expanding the conference into a full two‑day experience through a new partnership with NCInnovation (NCI). This collaboration allows us to broaden our programming and deepen our focus on research, innovation, and statewide impact.

On Monday morning, NCI will take center stage, offering sessions that highlight their strategic initiatives, statewide innovation efforts, and collaborative research partnerships. These sessions will bring together senior research officers, institutional leaders, and research administrators across all career levels to explore how NCI’s work is shaping the future of research and economic development in North Carolina.

The 2026 conference will continue to build on the themes, energy, and collaboration that made 2025 such a standout year. Attendees can expect:

2026 Confirmed Conference Sessions & Workshops

Innovation, Strategy & the Future of RA

F&A Rate Discussion: Status, Executive Orders & Federal Changes in RA Robert Cohen & Gil Tran (Attain Partners), Penny Gordon‑Larsen (UNC Chapel Hill)
Navigating the NIH Environment: What Has Changed and What is Staying the Same Jenny Greer (NIEHS/NIH) & Molly Puente (NIH OPERA)
AI: The New Research Partner Tomer du Sautoy (Atom Grants)
AI Applied: A Hands‑On Workshop for Research Administrators Jim Wagner (The Contract Network)

NCInnovation

NCInnovation Plenary: University Partnerships and OSP: Best practices for OSP to work with NCI and how research administration can be a commercialization enabler to help NC research reach real-world impact David Wyrick (NCInnovation)
Pre-Award Policies & Impact: How NCI differs from traditional sponsored research opportunities and what makes a commercialization-oriented proposal strong Derrick Welch (NCInnovation)
Finance-Post Award: Governance & Business Model: Impactful Funding Linda Hall & Erica Shrader (NCInnovation)
University Partnerships: Building an ideal campus infrastructure for Innovation Scott Davis (NCInnovation)
Faculty Experience Across Pre & Post Award: What its like working with NCI from the faculty perspective LaKeya Hardy (NCInnovation)

Core Research Administration & Compliance

Orientation to Research Administration Charna Howson & Vivian Meadows (Appalachian State), Joy Dismukes (UNC Greensboro)
Pre‑Award: It’s a Perfect World… NOT! Lorrie Robbins (Duke), Betty Morgan (NC State)
Award to Closeout 101: Post‑Award Basics Darlene Booker (UNC Charlotte)
Tracking the Award Trail: Internal Controls from Start to Finish Betty Morgan & Connor Dorsch (NC State)
Where Compliance Breaks Down: Preventing Costly Post‑Award Mistakes Denise Wynn (Wynn Essentials)
Navigating Effort Waters: Sponsored Project Effort Demystified Jennifer Williams & Bradley Priser (NC State)
Navigating the Research Administration Regulatory Framework Julie Cole (Clemson), Betty Morgan (NC State)
Charting a Course to Success: Navigating the Research Rapids with Strategic Evaluation Jade Hollars & Shelly Maras (UNC Chapel Hill)
Methodological Consideration for Tracking Research Products to Measure Impact Marlena Khun & Thomas McKinley (UNC Chapel Hill)
Chaos to Consensus: Strategic Management of Multi-Million Dollar, Multi-Institutional Grants Stacy Leotta (UNC Charlotte)

Clinical Research & Financial Management

Dollars and Data: The Art of Clinical Trial Budgeting Robert Cohen & Shanna Ford (Attain Partners)
Clinical Trial vs Grant Finances: Protocol‑Based vs Project‑Based Management Amanda Varone (Huron Consulting Group), Jill Cunnup (UNC Chapel Hill)

Leadership, Culture & Professional Growth

Managing a Multi‑Generational Office Eduardo Serrano (Huron Consulting Group), Elizabeth DuBose (UNC Chapel Hill)
Work Moves at the Speed of Relationships: A Relational Intelligence Approach Rachel Andreoli (Andreoli Strategies)
What Are Your Values and Why Do They Matter? Dave Mineo (DLMineo Consulting), Elizabeth DuBose (UNC Chapel Hill)
Updates & Discussion: UNC System Institutions Valerie Crickard & Jacob Falkiewicz (UNC System Office)
Steering Through the Rapids: Skills, Strengths & Style in Research Administration Jennifer Szezcula (University of Chicago), Ellen Brearley (Tufts Medical Center)
Navigating the Research Rapids: Training and Developing a Resilient Research Administration Workforce Julie Cole (Clemson University), Denise Wynn (Wynn Essentials), Lee Broxton (Georgia Tech)
Successes and Pitfalls of a Cohort-Based Faculty Grantsmaship Training Approach: The "Grants Academy" Paul Tuttle & Mallory Waters (Hanover Research)

2026 Workshop & Session Descriptions (Under Construction)

Page updated

Report abuse