Objective 5 Project Reports
March, 2026
Objective 5: Build partnerships and leverage research and economic development initiatives in response to community, state, and global needs
Below are project reports for four projects in UM's Playbook focused on Objective 5. Each report includes details about the intent of the project, why it's important, and progress made this fiscal year.
Objective 5 Project Reports
-
The project
Collaborate with partners to address health needs across Montana, with a particular focus on mental and behavioral health
Project Lead: Michael Rohd and Amanda Cahill
Executive Sponsor: Brad GoanWhat we’re trying to accomplish
This project is building a coordinated hub that connects UM faculty, students, researchers, and community partners working in mental and behavioral health, with the goal of strengthening collaboration, workforce development, service capacity, and public understanding across Montana. It focuses on shared learning, coordination, and reviewing funding opportunities, rather than creating new programs.
Why it matters
Montana faces significant mental and behavioral health challenges, and UM is uniquely positioned to address them through its statewide reach and disciplinary breadth. By better coordinating expertise and reducing silos, UM can increase impact, attract funding, support workforce development, and more effectively serve communities across the state.
Progress
The project has convened a growing core group of faculty and staff, hosted a fall kick-off and multiple topical meetings with strong participation, and begun mapping UM’s behavioral health efforts. Momentum has exceeded initial expectations, creating a foundation for deeper collaboration, improved visibility of ongoing work, and stronger fundraising alignment moving forward.
Meetings have resulted in the creation of a map of how each respective department/program is serving across Montana in the following ways:
- Training
- Coalition/Capacity Building
- Research
- Direct Behavioral and or Mental Health Services
- Student Placement
The outcome will be an interactive map where people can review what UM programs are providing across Montana.
More from the project leads
We are staying aware of, generating attention to, and putting effort into how to make certain the University addresses cuts to funding and services for Montana’s most vulnerable residents resulting from the national and state funding and legislative landscape.
-
The project
Develop an engagement strategy with state, federal, and private partners to enhance UM excellence in key research areas: AI/machine learning, human performance, cyber, biotech, health outcomes, forest and fire management, water prediction and management, and autonomous systems
Project Leads: Lily Apedaile, Paul Lukacs, and Drew Reinert
Executive Sponsor: Scott WhittenburgWhat we’re trying to accomplish
This project is creating a coordinated engagement strategy to strengthen UM’s relationships with state, federal, and private funding partners in support of research excellence. It focuses on identifying key funding opportunities, aligning internal expertise, and improving how UM engages external partners.
Why it matters
Extramural funding is essential to sustaining and growing UM’s research enterprise, particularly in an uncertain federal funding environment. A more coordinated approach helps UM compete more effectively for resources, reduce internal fragmentation, and amplify the impact of its research strengths.
Progress
A Government Relations team has been established and is meeting regularly to improve coordination around research engagement. Early efforts have already resulted in meetings with members of the congressional delegation and closer collaboration with faculty to identify and highlight funding opportunities, laying the groundwork for a more strategic, unified approach moving forward.
More from the project leads
Total federal funding available remains similar this year to past years, but research areas of emphasis have changed. Faculty should examine administration and agency research priorities to see how they can fit into those. Many of the topics fit with UM’s strengths, but we may need to reword how we describe them.
Grant proposal processes are evolving as well. Agencies like NSF and NIH are moving to fewer and broader calls for proposals and even encouraging faculty to suggest areas of research. Faculty will need to adjust to a more proactive approach to proposal development. Proposal submissions are down at UM and nationally, therefore we need to renew our efforts in securing research funding. ORCS Research Development team can provide support for proposal development and funding opportunity searches.
-
The project
Leverage the UM Impact and Interfolio platforms to support faculty collaboration and showcase faculty scholarly and creative activities
Project Leads: Lauren Fritzsche, Josh Groomer, and Wendy Walker
Executive Sponsor: Scott WhittenburgWhat we’re trying to accomplish
This project is aligning the UM Impact and Interfolio platforms to streamline faculty activity reporting, reduce duplicate data entry, and better showcase UM’s research and creative scholarship. By improving data workflows and coordinating communication, it aims to support collaboration, reporting, and the visibility of faculty and researchers’ work.
Why it matters
Efficient, trusted faculty data systems are essential for evaluation, accreditation, collaboration, and public storytelling about UM’s research and creative scholarship. Improving how UM Impact and Interfolio work together reduces faculty burden, strengthens crossdisciplinary connections, and elevates UM’s research reputation internally and externally.
Progress
The project team has presented to academic leadership groups, improved baseline data by manually updating records, and begun implementing coordinated communication and training opportunities. While progress depends on resolving HR data integration challenges, foundational planning is in place to support broader faculty engagement and more effective use of both platforms in the coming year.
-
The project
Improve research support systems, processes, and services
Project Leads: Katherine Swan and Nicole Thompson
Executive Sponsor: Scott WhittenburgWhat we’re trying to accomplish
This project is improving the systems, processes, and services of the Office of Sponsored Programs to better support principal investigators, departmental research administrators, and research staff. It focuses on clarifying workflows, increasing efficiency, strengthening workplace culture, and improving communication and training for campus partners.
Why it matters
A well-functioning Office of Sponsored Programs is critical to maintaining a strong, competitive research enterprise. By improving trust, service quality, and internal capacity, UM can reduce administrative friction, support faculty success, improve staff wellbeing, and protect research funding and institutional reputation.
Progress
All four OSP units have completed draft process maps that have been reviewed internally and shared across the office to identify intersections and inefficiencies. The team has developed draft workplace principles, begun culture-focused work with People & Culture, advanced updates to the OSP website, and strengthened campus relationships through DRA networking breakfasts and targeted outreach, setting the stage for deeper process improvements in spring 2026.
More from the project leads
At all steps of our project, we have worked to engage meaningfully with stakeholders across the spectrum - from OSP staff and ORCS administrators to principal investigators and departmental research administrators. We formed a working group with representatives from each of these groups to guide the development and rollout of our implementation plan for year one. We’ve also engaged PIs, DRAs, and additional OSP staff members on various activities throughout the year. We will continue to use this approach as we move into year two to ensure that our work is responsive to the needs of UM’s research community.