Category: NORDP Committees

Get to Know a NORDP Committee: New Opportunities for Research Development (NORD) Committee

Written by Erica Pitre and Karen Fletcher

The New Opportunities for Research Development Committee fosters the strategic development of the field and study of Research Development (RD). The Committee puts out an annual call for NORD / InfoReady Research Development grants, publishes concept papers on RD, and is home to the Research Development Review: The NORDP Journal.

The NORD Committee is led by a proactive team of co-chairs:

  • Karen Fletcher, MBA
    Director, Grants Resources & Services at Appalachian State University
  • Erica Pitre
    Director of Research Development, Emory University

Key NORD Initiatives

NORD / InfoReady Grants

To enhance the skills of Research Development professionals, broaden recognition and understanding of Research Development activities, and deepen Research Development’s impact on the scientific enterprise, NORDP, in partnership with InfoReady, supports research that defines and standardizes the terms used to identify skills and practices, as well as metrics that allow us to measure both activities and their outcomes. Applications for 2024 NORD / InfoReady Research Grants in Research Development are being accepted until Jul 24, 2024.

NORD Publications

NORD welcomes NORDP members and collaborators to write concept papers on specific topics on Research Development as a field, highlighting its role and importance in supporting knowledge creation and mobilization activities in contexts where external funding is sought. Articles are published on the NORDP website and available to members and the public each year through the NORD Committee. Each piece is peer reviewed by select NORD committee members. NORDP publications contribute to knowledge that supports and enhances the work of research development professionals.

Research Development Review: The NORDP Journal

With a tentative launch in Fall 2024, Research Development Review: The NORDP Journal, will serve as the scholarly journal for Research Development Professionals. The NORDP Journal will publish a wide range of topics intended to advance the global capacity for and impact of research development. The Journal will provide a much-needed virtual presence that supports and enhances the work of research development professionals and their partners in firmly establishing Research Development as a field of research and practice.

Contact the editorial board of the Research Development Review: The NORDP Journal at RDRjournal@nordp.org for questions about the journal.

Volunteer Opportunities

There are various opportunities to participate in the NORD Committee. The Committee meets every other month via Zoom to discuss ways to support current research development topics that are or will affect the field. Beyond meeting attendance, working group opportunities for committee members to provide service can include:

NORD / InfoReady Grants:  service as a grant reviewer;  management of internal competitions and/or awards;  reporting of outcomes

NORD Publications: review of submissions;  document design of final articles; soliciting authors for publications;  suggesting topics for calls for publication

Research Development Review: The NORDP Journal:  the Editor-in-chief attends the NORD meetings to keep the membership up to date; opportunities may exist to support the Journal, as needed

You might enjoy serving on this committee if: you are interested in contributing to growing the conversation around the field of RD. Skills you can enhance include learning about and using the InfoReady platform to administer the NORD / InfoReady grant competition, facilitating a review process, and/or organizing panel discussions.

How to get involved: 

As of May 2024, the efforts of the NORD Committee are facilitated by the committee co-chairs:

Please contact either one of the co-chairs to get involved.

Get to Know a NORDP Committee: The Conference Committee

If you attended the recent NORDP 2023 in Crystal City, VA, you experienced firsthand the work of the NORDP Conference Committee. This group of NORDP volunteers supports many of the elements of the annual NORDP Conference, from putting out the call for abstracts to creating the conference schedule and planning the social and networking activities associated with each conference. 

Each year in mid-late summer, the Conference Committee begins its work planning on the next year’s annual conference (typically held in April-May). “There are a number of facets to conference planning, so it’s important we start early. This also means that there are numerous ways for volunteers to contribute to both conference planning and execution!” says Conference Committee Co-Chair, Jessica Moon (2022-2024).

Conference Committee volunteers have oversight of a host of elements involved in planning and hosting the NORDP conference, including abstract solicitation and review, branding and communication, DEIB considerations, speaker support, planning social and networking events, and more. Committee members have the opportunity to volunteer for the specific working groups that most interest them. “Working groups have been a great way for conference committee members to participate in the aspects of conference planning that interest them most, without feeling overwhelmed about all the things that need to get done,” says Conference Committee Co-Chair Katherine Duggan. “Having a core group that can develop and execute a timeline for abstract review, or which questions to ask in the session evaluations, means we can have more focused conversations, more productive meetings, and more equitably spread the workload. This smaller group setting also means it’s easier to get to know your fellow conference committee members and to be empowered to contribute.”

One exciting recent win for the Conference Committee is the success of the inaugural NORDP Has Heart initiative at this year’s conference, which raised more than $5000 for Carpenter’s Shelter, an organization local to the 2023 Conference host region that supports people experiencing and at risk of homelessness to achieve sustainable independence through shelter and housing placement, guidance, education, and advocacy. Said Committee Co-Chair Jess Brassard, “This idea came from the creativity of Carolynn Julien, who served on the conference committee this year. She pushed our committee to think about how we can leave a positive mark on the community that hosts our conference. Carolynn took the enthusiastic response of the committee and ran with it. Conference attendees obviously loved the opportunity to give back to the community in a real tangible way. We are excited to find similar place-based ways to make an impact at future conferences.”

For those who may be on the fence about volunteering to serve on the Conference Committee, co-chair Becca Latimer offers the following advice: “Serving on the Conference Committee allows you to interact with all facets of NORDP – from committees to task forces to the Board of Directors. The experience is involved and can be demanding, but the reward far surpasses anything else. It has truly been one of the most exciting NORDP adventures I’ve been a part of and I encourage any enthusiastic NORDP member to consider joining this committee.”

The Details:

  • Committee meeting scope/schedule: The conference committee creates the vision and mission for the conference every year. They work heavily with NORDP’s contracted event planners as well as coordinate with the executive conference committee (ECC), the NORDP board, and other committee co-chairs to create an event that meets the needs of the NORDP membership.

    The committee meets every three weeks, adjusting for holidays and vacations. The committee may meet more frequently leading up to the conference. 
  • Current Co-Chairs: Jessica Brassard, Jessica Moon, Katherine Duggan, Becca Latimer (outgoing committee co-chair)
  • You might enjoy serving on this committee if: You are energized by creating spaces for people to come together (hello all you facilitators out there!); you have burning ideas for NORDP programming that you think is missing for membership now; you like working with a creative and diverse team of doers; you like navigating the ins and outs of event management; you appreciate a good Gantt chart with concrete deliverables; you love stretching your skills and trying lots of different tasks.
  • How to get involved: Email the committee co-chairs at rdconf@nordp.org (We love for members to be involved for the whole conference planning year, but welcome people to join anytime!)