UF’s myinvestiGator recognized for innovation

June 8, 2015

Tracking $700 million in annual research funding takes work. And innovation. The University of Florida’s online accounting tool, myinvestiGator, is the result of both. And it was rewarded accordingly, earning the Best Practices Award at the 2015 Southern Association of College and University Business Officers, or SACUBO, annual meeting.

Each year, SACUBO rewards institutions whose efforts foster better, more efficient and customer-friendly business practices. UF took the top SACUBO recognition and a $1,500 prize for myinvestiGator. The award is given to institutions whose efforts create better, more efficient, customer-friendly business practices.

“Researchers have many funding sources, all with different rules and different reporting deadlines,” Stephanie Gray, director, Division of Sponsored Programs, said. “We asked them what would be most helpful to them, and they said something that looked and worked like online banking, but for research dollars.”

The myinvestiGator project team interviewed more than 50 faculty members and their support staffs to build the intuitive program, tailored to investigator needs. In reply, the Division of Sponsored Research--Contracts and Grants, the Office of the Chief Financial Officer and UF Information Technology developed the technical and functional specs needed. UF then partnered with Mindtree, Ltd., to build the tool.

The SACUBO award isn’t the only recognition received for this project: myinvestiGator was also honored at Florida TaxWatch’s Prudential Productivity Awards in March. The award recognized the myinvestiGator project team’s efforts in increasing productivity and innovation to deliver state services efficiently and save Florida taxpayer dollars.