Mandate
The Consortia Advancing Standards in Research Administration Information (CASRAI) is a not-for-profit standards organization (specifically, an SDO, as defined here).
We provide a forum and the mechanisms required to standardize the data that researchers, their institutions and their funders must produce, store, exchange and process throughout the life-cycle of research activity.
We envision research teams maintaining a single authoritative file on their activities and being able to quickly produce any documents needed by funders and institutions from this single source file.
The key benefits we want to realize for the research community are:
- Save time for researchers (applying & reporting)
- Improve access to quality data for institutions and funders
- Simplify the measurement of research impacts on society
Executive Team
Board of Directors
CASRAI is governed by a Board of Directors comprising prominent and highly respected senior leaders from the research administration community
- Janet Halliwell (Chair) is the Principal of J.E. Halliwell Associates Inc, a company established to offer value-added services in policy and management consultancy relating to post-secondary education and science and technology, particularly publicly funded R&D. She is well known in the field of research administration, and has held several prominent positions, including Executive Vice-President, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), Chair of the Nova Scotia Council on Higher Education, Chair of the Science Council of Canada, Director General, and Officer of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. She has advised and consulted widely on S&T policy and research management and administration. Ms. Halliwell holds degrees from Queen’s University in Kingston and the University of British Columbia. She has received honorary doctorates from seven Canadian universities and is a recipient of the Walter Hitschfeld Prize for university research administration.
- Dr. Amir Attaran is both a lawyer and a biologist. His research explores the functional linkages between public policy, technology, and human well-being in developing nations. Dr. Attaran's publications have appeared in well-known Law and biomedical publications such as the Yale and Stanford Journals of International Law, The Lancet, and The Journal of the American Medical Association. He is the co-author of a book on access to medicines in developing countries and has written for the Globe and Mail, Washington Post, New York Times, and International Herald Tribune, among others. Dr. Attaran has also advised and collaborated with numerous NGOs, UN agencies, governments, and corporations (including the Government of Brazil, Médecins Sans Frontières, Novartis, the UN Development Programme, the World Bank, and his former employer, the Sierra Legal Defence Fund) on aspects of international development, primarily in the area of public health. He also advises various human rights and public health charities, especially in Africa, on a strictly pro bono basis.
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Ms. Sandra Crocker is Assistant Vice-Principal (Research Operations) at McGill. She has had a distinguished career in research administration. Prior to her work at McGill she served as Associate Vice-Principal (Research) in the Office of the Vice-Principal Research at Queen's University and as Queen's University's Director of the Office of Research Services. She served a two year term as President of the Canadian Association of University Research Administrators (CAURA). Ms. Crocker is a member of the International Society for Research Administration, and has served on the editorial review board of The Journal of Research Administration, and on the boards of the Biocap Canada Charitable Foundation Inc., Insect Biotec Canada Inc., the Kingston Technology Council and the Ontario Centre for Communications and Information Technology.
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Mr. Chuck Humphrey is the Head of the Data Library at the University of Alberta and responsible for the implementation and management of a Statistics Canada Research Data Centre (RDC) at the University of Alberta. He has worked on several regional, national and international initiatives to increase access to data for teaching and research. He has participated in the development of an international preservation metadata standard for microdata, known as DDI, and is currently overseeing a CFI-funded software project within the Canadian Research Data Centre Network to produce tools supporting the life cycle management of research data. Chuck is a member of the Research Data Strategy Working Group organized by CISTI to advance a national agenda on data stewardship in Canada and is the Lead for the Infrastructure and Services Task Group. In 2000, Mr. Humphrey received the Canadian Association of Research Libraries Award for Distinguished Service to Research Librarianship recognizing his "expert knowledge of data formats, data access and preservation".
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Dr. Joseph Hubert is Vice President Research at University of Montreal, one of Canada's largest universities. He is an internationally recognized chemist and, as Department Chair, Dean and now VPR, has long experience as an academic administrator and leader. He has worked extensively with industry and the federal funding agencies and is known for his promotion and leadership in forming interdisciplinary teams and inter-institutional initiatives.
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Dr. Mark Bisby was a teacher and researcher in physiology for 25 years before joining the Medical Research Council of Canada, predecessor of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, in 1997. He was heavily involved in the transition between the two organizations that took place in 2000. He became V-P Research of CIHR, working with the Directors of CIHR's 13 Institutes to put in place the programs, processes and policies of the new organization, including ResearchNet and the CommonCV. He retired from CIHR in 2006 and is now is a consultant in science and technology, based in Ottawa.
Executive Director
CASRAI operates under the executive leadership of David Baker. David has over 20 years experience in the research administration field. He was an original founder of CASRAI in 2006.
Executive Council
Senior executives from key member organizations provide guidance to the CASRAI Board and Executive Director. They also attend annual Board meetings to explore future directions and priorities.
Members of the CASRAI Executive Council:
| Member | Title | Org |
|---|---|---|
| Jaime Pitfield | Vice President, Common Administrative Services | NSERC/SSHRC |
| Jean-Claude Gavrel | Associate Vice President, NSERC/NCE Division | NCE |
| Allison Barr | Director, Research Branch | MRI |
| Manon Harvey | Vice-President, Finance and Corporate Services | CFI |
| Gilbert Tordjman | Vice-President, Administrative Affairs | FRSQ |
| Jacques Magnan | Chief Executive Officer | AIHS |
| Krista Connell | Chief Executive Officier | NSHRF |
| Martin Kirk | Director, Office of Research Services | UBC |
Member Organizations
The following organizations are signatory to CASRAI data standards and actively support and fund the mandate of the organization:
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)
- Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI)
- Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE)
- University of British Columbia (UBC)
- Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation of Ontario (MRI)
- Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR)
- Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec (FRSQ)
- Fonds de recherche sur la nature et les technologies (FQRNT)
- Fonds de recherche sur la société et la culture (FQRSC)
- Alberta Innovates - Health Solutions (AIHS)
- Alberta Ministry of Advanced Education and Technology (AAET)
- Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation (NSHRF)
- New Brunswick Health Research Foundation (NBHRF)
- Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF)
Standards Committees
CASRAI data standards are developed and maintained under the direction of subject matter experts from our member organizations. These subject matter experts are organized into a set of inter-related committees and circles who collaborate to set the standards.
Each of our data standards is first developed by a Standards Committee through a series of review/revision cycles. The Committee then submits a draft to a Review Circle to give it a broader review and to collect comments and suggested revisions. A final draft is then published by the committee as the approved standard.
Our Standards Committees and associated Review Circles are organized into four main areas of focus:
1. Research Personnel Standards
This group of subject matter experts is focused on data standards for describing the people who participate in research activity.
Committee Members
| Member | Title | Org |
|---|---|---|
| John Fryer (Co-chair) | Director, Corporate Services | CFI |
| Martin Kirk (Co-chair) | Director, Office of Research Services | UBC |
| Doug Peers | Dean/Associate VP, Faculty of Graduate Studies | YorkU |
| Pamela Valentine | Interim VP, Programs | AIHS |
| Gordana Krcevinac | Director, Fellowships & Institutional Grants Programs | SSHRC |
| Katherine Schultz | VP, Research & Development | uPEI |
| Caroline Coulombe | Analyste de l'information, Services communs | FQRNT/SC |
| Jennifer McNutt | Manager, Research Programs | NSHRF |
| Diane Bouthillier | Analyste, Informatique | FRSQ |
Review Circle Members
| Member | Title | Org |
|---|---|---|
| Guillaume Laforce | analyste de l’information, Sevices communs | FQRNT/SC |
| Karen Glazebrook | Manager, Funding Programs | SHRF |
| Pierre Duchesne | NSERC | |
| Julie Wilson | OICR |
2. Research Activity Standards
This group of subject matter experts is focused on data standards for describing the activities conducted by research teams.
Committee Members
| Member | Title | Org |
|---|---|---|
| Mario Lamarca (Co-chair) | Director, Life Sciences & Geosciences Division | NSERC |
| Robert Dirstein (Co-chair) | Principal, Dirstein Consulting | |
| Bert van den Berg | Knowledge & Technology Transfer Division | NSERC |
| François Simard | Team Leader, Grants & Fellowships Directorate | SSHRC |
| Sorin Seruna | Senior Advisor, Planning & Operation | NCE |
| Mathieu Ravignat | Team Leader, Strategic Programs and Joint Initiatives | SSHRC |
| David Phipps | Director, Research Services & Knowledge Exchange | YorkU |
| Viviane Poupon | Associate Director, Programs | FRSQ |
| Pamela Valentine | Interim VP, Programs | AIHS |
| Caroline Coulombe | Analyste de l'information, Services communs | FQRNT/SC |
| Ryan McCarthy | Director, Programs | NSHRF |
Review Circle Members
| Member | Title | Org |
|---|---|---|
| Yannick Machabée | analyste de l’information, Services Communs | FQRNT/SC |
| Deb Fortosky | Director, Finance & Operations | SHRF |
| Karen Glazebrook | Manager, Funding Programs | SHRF |
| Catherine Podeszfinski | NSERC | |
| Garth Templeman | NSERC | |
| Michelle Brazas | OICR |
3. Research Impact Standards
This group of subject matter experts is focused on data standards for describing the impact of research activity on capacity, knowledge-creation and society.
Committee Members
| Member | Title | Org |
|---|---|---|
| Martin Kirk (Co-chair) | Director, Office of Research Services | UBC |
| Wayne MacDonald (Co-chair) | Director, Corporate Performance & Evaluation | SSHRC |
| Susan Morris | Chief, Evaluation | NSERC |
| Ghislaine Tremblay | Director, Evaluation and Outcome Assessment | CFI |
| Sandra Zohar | Senior Evaluation Officer | CFI |
| Julie Gaudreau | Chef, Projets informationnels et des analyses | FRSQ |
| Kathryn Graham | Director, Performance Management | AIHS |
| Caroline Coulombe | Analyste de l'information, Services communs | FQRNT/SC |
| Deborah Langille | Director, Performance Accountability | NSHRF |
| Susan Blum | Vice-President, Research Services | uSask |
| David Phipps | Director, Research Services & Knowledge Exchange | YorkU |
Review Circle Members
| Member | Title | Org |
|---|---|---|
| Denise Pérusse | adjointe au pdg | FRSQ |
| Élisabeth Garin | Analyste à la planification et à la gestion stratégiques | FQRNT |
| Patrick Odnokon | Impact Analysis Manager | SHRF |
| Teresa Jurewicz | Team Leader, Innovative Collaborations and Science Promotion | NSERC |
| Renu Minhas | Director, Grants & Awards | OICR |
4. Research Classification Standards
This group of subject matter experts is focused on data standards for classifying research activity by discipline, subject and area-of-application.
Committee Members
| Member | Title | Org |
|---|---|---|
| Julie Gaudreau | Chef, Projets informationnels et des analyses | FRSQ |
| Barney Laciak | Manager, Corporate Planning | NSERC |
| Pamela Valentine | Interim Vice-President, Programs | AIHS |
| Meredith Campbell | Manager, Research Enterprise Dev Initiatives | NSHRF |
Review Circle Members
| Member | Title | Org |
|---|---|---|
| Denise Pérusse | adjointe au pdg | FRSQ |
| Guillaume Laforge | analyste de l’information, Services communs | FQRNT/SC |
| Catherine Podeszfinski | Chief, Program Operations, Research Grants & Scholarship | NSERC |
| Garth Templeman | NSERC |
