Using Automation to Reimagine Research Administration Workflows. 
Oct 18 2023, 12-1pm EST. 

Did you know that by doing something as simple as updating a database or pushing a virtual button you can automatically initiate emails, auto-generate Tweets, fetch additional data from other web applications, and launch an infinite number of other actions and reporting processes? In this case study, we look at how a database of bibliographic and citation metadata in the Faculty of Health Sciences is automated to save hundreds of hours of manual manipulation. Far from removing creativity from administrative workflows, automation tools like Zapier and Microsoft Power Automate present the opportunity for new and novel ways to imagine how institutional data, research, and knowledge can be shared, adapted, repurposed, and leveraged. If your current day-to-day tasks require manually copying data from one place to another, consider it an opportunity to apply automation creatively. Contextualized in the context of research administration, we will consider the value of investing in automation as an emerging core administrative skill set in project management, departmental workflows, and data management.