USD Launches NSF-Funded Project Enhancing Research Collaboration

ResDataNexus will connect universities in the effort to advance academic research.

The University of San Diego, in partnership with Elon University and Pepperdine University, is spearheading a National Science Foundation-funded initiative called ResDataNexus.

The infrastructure and analytics model is designed to help emerging research institutions (ERIs) more effectively monitor research outputs, expenditures and grant activity.

“This project establishes a highly-needed research data capability for ERIs, like USD, to help the institution gain insights into research/scholarship activities at the university, identify gaps and opportunities and strategically plan for investment and growth in the research enterprise,” said Truc  Ngo, PhD, Vice Provost for Research and Administration and a professor of Industrial & Systems Engineering at USD.

Project Overview 

According to the project summary, ResDataNexus will:

• Automate the collection of data on research outputs (e.g., publications, patents), external grant activity, and research and development  expenditures.

• Build interactive dashboards that provide real-time visibility into research productivity at the university.

• Use machine-learning based forecasting tools and composite indices to help institutions predict research return on investment and identify strategic opportunities for growth.

• Engage students in applied data analytics experiences tied to research data, thereby building future talent alongside institutional capacity.

This initiative is being led by USD’s Office of the Vice President and Provost and involves key partners across campus, including the Shiley‑Marcos School of Engineering, the Office of Sponsored Programs, Institutional Research & Effectiveness, Copley Library and Information Technology Services.

Why This Matters for Emerging Research Institutions

The Growing Research Access for Nationally Transformative Economic Development (GRANTED) initiative is part of an effort by the National Science Foundation to broaden participation in the U.S. research enterprise, providing opportunities for ERIs to build research infrastructure and capacity. ERIs are those institutions that have less than $50 million in annual federal research and development expenditures.

ERIs often face critical analytical and administrative challenges in tracking research activity, benchmarking performance, supporting faculty proposals and strategically planning for growth. 

By providing a robust toolset to capture and forecast research productivity and grant activities, ResDataNexus addresses those pain points directly by enabling institutions like USD to shift from reactive to proactive research planning.

“We have grown significantly over the past ten years. In 2017, we achieved the R2 Carnegie Designation with $5M in total R&D expenditures and 37 research doctorates awarded,” said Ngo. “By 2022, we had doubled our R&D expenditures to over $10M and awarded 40 research doctorates that year. 

“Today, we remain committed to expanding and enhancing our research infrastructure and support services to empower faculty and students in their research and scholarly pursuits. This NSF GRANTED project plays an important role in this ongoing institutional effort.”

How USD’s Campus Ecosystem Supports the Initiative

USD’s leadership of this project aligns with the university’s broader strategic commitment to advancing its research enterprise and enhancing student participation in discovery and scholarship. The involvement of multiple support units, such as Institutional Research & Effectiveness, Sponsored Programs, Library services, Engineering and ITS — reflects a cross-divisional, institution-wide effort.

“It started out with my conversation with Traci Merrill, [director, Office of Sponsored Programs], seeing the need for systematically tracking and reporting grant activity at USD,” Ngo said. “We then recruited experts from the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering to help co-lead the project. As we continued to develop the project, we realized that what we wanted to build could be used at other ERIs, not just USD. This vision prompted us to recruit Elon University and Pepperdine University to partner on the project. 

“We also expanded our team’s expertise by engaging colleagues from other units across the university, including ITS, Institutional Research & Effectiveness, and Copley Library. This university-wide and cross-institutional team building approach helps ensure our success.”

For students, the initiative offers hands-on opportunities to work with institutional data, creating solutions that address real-world problems faced in higher education. For university leadership, ResDataNexus provides tools to monitor research productivity, benchmark progress, and make strategic and high-impact decisions.

Next Steps for USD Community

In the coming months, USD will initiate data-mapping and integration efforts, engaging student analysts, sponsored programs/library/institutional research/ITS teams, and engineering faculty to build the foundational dashboards and forecasting models. Additionally, we will be designing a research study to learn about leadership perspectives on what drives research productivity and grant activities.

“I am so grateful to our solid USD team who is committed to the goals set out for this NSF GRANTED project. I am also grateful to our valuable partnerships with Elon University and Pepperdine University, who will help ensure that our developed models will be robust and transferable to other ERIs,” Ngo said. “We are all excited about this project and its potential impact on the national research enterprise.”

In leading the ResDataNexus initiative, USD stands at the forefront of a new wave of research capacity building for emerging research institutions. By leveraging data-driven decision-making, the university — and its partner institutions — are strengthening the foundation for research excellence.

— USD News Center