Competition for funding is increasing, while research applications, approvals and documentation requirements are becoming ever more complex. Many colleges, universities and institutes are struggling with fragmented processes, high administrative costs and non-transparent coordination.
Funding applications today not only have to be technically convincing, but also meet numerous formal and legal requirements. Funding conditions, GDPR requirements, internal approvals and reporting obligations add to the complexity. Especially at larger universities with several departments and institutes, this often results in lengthy coordination processes and a lack of transparency regarding the current processing status.
In many institutions, funding applications are still coordinated via emails, Excel lists, network drives or paper forms. Information is distributed, approvals have to be obtained manually and deadlines are managed via personal reminders.
The consequences:
With the digital project and contract solution from top xRM, third-party funding processes in SAP can be mapped in a structured, transparent and largely paperless manner – from application to project completion.
Centralized information, automated workflows and clear approval paths ensure greater transparency, faster coordination and a noticeable reduction in the daily workload. Processing times are shortened, errors are reduced and location-independent working is possible.
The digital project solution maps the entire life cycle of a third-party funded project. Research applications, funding conditions, approvals and deadlines are managed centrally and are available to all authorized parties at all times.
Mandatory fields and structured processes help to avoid incomplete applications and record relevant information in a standardized way. At the same time, automated reminders help to reliably meet deadlines for interim reports, proof of use or funding requirements.
Even complex approval processes can be mapped transparently. Role-based workflows ensure that approvals are documented in a traceable manner and processes between multiple instances are accelerated.
The solution also supports the structured management of research contracts and project-related documents.
Contracts, agreements and relevant documents are made available centrally in SAP and form a uniform level of information for all parties involved. This not only facilitates access in day-to-day work, but also improves statistical evaluations and reporting processes.
European universities, including in Germany, were also faced with the challenge of organizing complex third-party funding processes with numerous stakeholders more efficiently. Funding applications were non-transparent, prone to errors and associated with a high level of manual effort. At the same time, multi-stage approval processes made collaboration between research and administration more difficult.
The introduction of digital project and contract processes has significantly simplified central processes:
The result is consistently transparent and more efficient third-party funding management throughout the entire project life cycle.
Live Demo
Modern third-party funding management requires digital processes, centralized information, and transparent workflows.
Feel free to contact us, and we’ll show you in a live demo how funding management in SAP can be streamlined efficiently using top xRM/BPM.
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