AtlasResearch expertise and grant intelligenceFrom a research opportunity to a team you can assess.
Atlas helps university research offices understand the expertise a funding call or partnership request requires, identify potential contributors, and examine the evidence behind each recommendation.
See the depth of experience each person could bring, how their expertise complements others, and where additional expertise may be needed.
Research opportunity
What work needs to be done?
Expertise required
Which capabilities and depth of experience are needed?
Potential contributors
What could each researcher contribute?
Supporting evidence
Which records support the proposed fit?
Follow a funding opportunity through Atlas
A research office is exploring a proposal for shared research instrumentation. The proposed work brings together structural biology, materials science and computational imaging. Atlas helps the office examine the expertise required and the contributions potential collaborators could make.
Illustrative example. The researchers and record descriptions below are hypothetical. This is not a customer result or a live funding opportunity.
The opportunity
Shared research instrumentation
Identify potential users across departments and examine the expertise needed to apply established methods and develop new imaging approaches.
Expertise to examine
Structural biology
Experience applying imaging methods to biological research.
Materials science
Experience using imaging to investigate material structure and properties.
Computational imaging
Experience developing image-reconstruction methods.
Expertise requirements are estimates for the research office and subject experts to review.
Potential contributions to examine
Researcher A
Structural biology
- Potential contribution
- Apply imaging methods to biological research.
- Evidence to examine
- Publications using the relevant method; grants describing related biological research.
Researcher B
Materials science
- Potential contribution
- Bring materials research applications to the shared instrument.
- Evidence to examine
- Publications on material characterization; records of related research projects.
Researcher C
Computational imaging
- Potential contribution
- Develop image-reconstruction methods for the proposed work.
- Evidence to examine
- Methods publications and grant records describing algorithm development.
A closer look at Researcher C
Illustrative record: a methods publication describing a new image-reconstruction approach.
Possible contribution: method development. In Atlas, the office can inspect the source, its date and the factors supporting the estimated fit before approaching the researcher.
Questions for the team conversation
Potential contributions identified: biological applications, materials applications and imaging-method development.
Still to confirm: instrument operations and user training expertise.
Before approaching a team: confirm interest, availability, scientific fit and the funder’s current requirements.
An apparent gap may reflect incomplete records. It is a question to investigate, not a conclusion that the institution lacks expertise.
Understand what each researcher could contribute
Researchers working on the same topic can bring different capabilities. A project may need experience applying an established method, developing a new one, or both. Atlas helps the office examine those differences through documented work.
Applying a method
Look for documented use of the method in research relevant to the proposed work.
Developing a method
Look for documented contributions to creating, adapting or validating the method itself.
These contributions can overlap. Their relevance depends on the project, and Atlas’s assessments remain estimates for expert review.
Examine the basis for each recommendation
Atlas connects profiles and recommendations to the records behind them. Users can inspect source origins and dates, review the factors behind expertise and relevance estimates, and investigate unresolved identity questions.
Inspect the source
Review the grants, publications, patents and approved records supporting a potential contribution.
Review the estimate
Examine the factors behind estimated expertise depth and relevance to the proposed work.
Resolve open questions
Check ambiguous identities and incomplete evidence with the people who know the context.
Faculty and staff confirm the proposed fit and make the decisions. Missing evidence should prompt further inquiry.
Connect research questions with relevant expertise
Funding opportunities and research teams
Identify the expertise a funding call requires, examine potential investigators and collaborators, and review coverage across the proposed team.
Research partnerships
Start with a partner’s research question. Identify relevant researchers and prepare a capability brief explaining the evidence for an introduction.
Atlas also supports longer-term questions about institutional capabilities.
Program review
Map program areas and learning outcomes to documented research and teaching expertise, with source records available for review.
Capability planning
Explore how a proposed appointment or an anticipated retirement could affect documented expertise coverage. Scenario results are estimates for discussion.
Questions about Atlas
We already have research profiles and funding tools. How should we evaluate Atlas?
Start with a representative funding call or partnership request. Compare how your current workflow and Atlas identify required expertise, assess depth of experience, explain potential contributions and reveal questions about team coverage. A demonstration can help you assess overlap and any additional value. Data access and integration requirements are discussed separately.
Which records does Atlas use?
Atlas connects researchers to grants, publications, patents, courses, collaborations and approved institutional records. Available coverage depends on the sources included for the institution. Source origins and dates remain visible, and ambiguous identities are flagged for review.
Does Atlas check eligibility or choose the team?
Where configured, Atlas checks requirements such as roles, affiliations, dates, conflicts and expertise coverage. These checks help identify questions for review. Faculty and staff confirm scientific fit, interest, availability and current funder requirements, and make the final decisions.
How are deployment and data arrangements decided?
Deployment, approved data sources, access, retention and export arrangements are agreed with the institution. The institution retains ownership of its data. Contact Ascendr to discuss the requirements for your environment.
Bring a research opportunity to the conversation
In a demonstration, we will walk through a representative funding call or partnership request, examine potential contributions and their supporting evidence, and discuss where Atlas could add value to your current workflow.
Atlas provides decision support. Rankings and recommendations should not be used as the sole basis for employment, promotion, funding, accreditation, or other consequential personnel or institutional decisions.