Conference at a Glance

Conference Registration and Schedule at a Glance

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

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 button.

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

Building on Our 2025 Success

We are excited to share that planning is already underway for our 2026 Conference, building directly 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.

The 2026 conference will expand on the themes, energy, and collaboration that made 2025 such a standout year. Attendees can expect new session tracks, more hands‑on learning, and expanded opportunities to showcase research, education, and clinical excellence.

To give you a preview of what’s ahead, here’s a look back at our 2025 sessions and workshops.

2025 Conference Sessions & Workshops

Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Automation in Research Administration: Practical Strategies from 20 Years of AI Building

Engaging Training in the RA Realm: Systems guides and in-person sessions.

Leading Beyond the Award: Navigating the Hidden Pitfalls of Post-Award Management

Beyond the Checklist: Engaging PIs in Meaningful Proposal Discussions

Tightropes & Terminations: Walking the Line when Executive Orders Drop

Executive orders, the status of legal challenges to them and associated topics

Sponsored Audits - How to stay ready so you don't have to get ready

Linking Management Reports with Compliance Review-How are they connected?

From Submission to Success: Evaluation Advantage for Competitive Proposals

Filling the Gaps: North Carolina Foundations Funding Panel

Innovative Data Management Opportunities for Research Projects and Administration

Who are YOU as a Research Administrator?

No More Spreadsheets: Discovering a Better Way to Track Cost Share

Bridging Expertise: The RD & RA Partnership Behind the PREPARE Program

UNC System Sponsored Programs Updates and Discussion

FUNdamentals of Cost Accounting

Getting Started with DOD Funding

New Research Administrator: How to Prepare for a Post Award Career

Love ‘em and hate ‘em: Budget Template Overhauls

Embedding Innovation in Academic Culture: The Strategic Role of Research Administrators

Effort Reporting Essentials: Compliance, Challenges & Best Practices

Pre-Award Workflow Management through Airtable: A Tale of Two Colleges

Navigating the NIH RPPR: Compliance, Pitfalls, and Best Practices

Research Development in the Fine Arts & Humanities: A Mixed-Methods Study

IRB and IACUC 101: Foundations of Ethical Oversight

The Research Ringmaster: Orchestrating Research Administration from Start to End (An Orientation to RA)

A Strategic Approach to Risk Assessment and Risk Remediation for Sponsored Programs

I'm Pre-Award: But Is It Really Just Pre-Award

Proposal Development, Research Development: What is it and Why Should I Care?

Resilience and Change Management

Mastering the Art of Budget Development for Sponsored Projects

Export Controls: Current Events and Application

Navigating Grief in the Workplace

A case study for LinkedIn Content Creation Using AI Agents

DRAFT 2026 schedule.xlsx

2026 Workshop & Session Descriptions (Under Construction)