Dear Lehigh faculty and staff,
We are writing to provide you with an update on the implementation of the LIRA (Lehigh Integrated Research Administration) system. Since our last communication, we have been working closely with our selected vendor, Huron, to configure the system to meet Lehigh’s specific needs. We are currently in the iteration stage of the implementation, during which our cross-college implementation team is working on validating the improved proposal and award processes that will be put in place later this year.
As often happens with highly technical implementations, decisions on conversion, Lehigh-specific needs, and Huron scheduling have impacted our go-live date, which will now be toward the end of 2022. We are confident that the additional weeks will allow for thorough testing and training of the system.
What comes next?
Once the iteration stage is complete in early fall, we will conduct end-to-end testing to ensure the system is functioning correctly. We are looking for a small number of faculty to test the system and provide feedback on the ease of use and system implementation. Faculty testers do not need to be working on a current proposal. If you would like to volunteer to be a tester, please email inlira@lehigh.edu. We welcome active participation of faculty and staff from all disciplines.
Shortly after these tests, we will offer thorough training for all faculty and college research staff. This training will be offered over the course of October into November, and will include in-person and online sessions. We will continue to communicate progress and information on upcoming training opportunities. Session information will be shared on the LIRA website and on the Lehigh events calendar.
We welcome your questions at inlira@lehigh.edu.
Best,
Nathan Urban, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Anand Jagota, Vice Provost for Research
Cynthia Kane, AVP of Research and Sponsored Programs and Project Sponsor
Ilena Key, Chief Technology Officer and Project Sponsor