Research Policy Advisory Council (RPAC)
Background and Operating Procedures
In the fall of 2003, Martin Cadwallader, the Vice Chancellor for Research, established the Research Policy Advisory Council (RPAC) to serve as the single central body for the coordination of research policy development and implementation. Research policy has been created and interpreted in many different places on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus. Given the current size of the research enterprise at UW-Madison, and the decentralization of many research services, the RPAC can help the campus respond to changes in federal grant conditions and to create good working relationships with industry through standard policies.
The RPAC is comprised of five associate deans for research, the director of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, and a representative from Legal Services. The Graduate School's Associate Dean for Research Policy serves as the chairperson. Currently, the council meets once a month. Council membership will rotate to allow for broad participation of the associate deans for research.
Operationally, the RPAC members identify and prioritize research policy issues and create work teams for each topic. It is expected that, at any given time, there will be two or three work teams operating. Each team will bring in additional expertise as needed. The RPAC will forward policy recommendations to the Vice Chancellor for Research, who will review them with the full group of associate deans for research and bring them forward for input by other groups, as needed (e.g. Deans Council, PI Committee). An annual progress report of RPAC activities will be presented to the Deans, Provost, and Chancellor.
The vision for the future is that, whenever the campus community identifies policy issues, the RPAC will be charged to make a well-studied recommendation. The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs will develop implementation plans for grant-related policy decisions.