Element 16.Information Management and Support System (IMSS) Speaker: T. J. HelmsBackground: Before and after the AREERA announcement in 1998, there were many discussions with administrators about the possibility of developing a “paperless management system” for interstate research, and there was no development of CRIS in this region within the agency, Northeast Regional Directors Association of State Agricultural Experiment Stations (NERA) to their Executive Director, Dr. David McKenzie, have developed an Operational Management and Information Management System (MIS). This system was completed in the summer of 2000 and implemented for the North East region. Recently, CSREES refused to support a commitment to create a national system along the lines of NERA IMSS; Thus, the potential of the HEPA system as a universal solution to support the management of all regional projects at each of the sites was again brought up for discussion. The North Central, South and Western Executive Directors called on David McKenzie to develop a meaningful proposal for consideration by the Directors in theeach of their respective regions. Here is the attached proposal.To view the system on the NERA website, use the following URL: http://www.agnr.umd.edu/users/NERA/. Select Paperless Multinational Research Management System and enter the following URL: http://www.agnr.umd.edu/userforms/nera/index.html.The directors’ associations of North Center and West are committed to fully participating in this activity during their spring meetings. Additional information regarding actions and other recommendations related to this system will be circulated in the form of documents.Summary of Proposed Costs: An estimated cost of $7,000 per region (assuming no contribution from the CSREES Twinning Office) will support the program until September 2001. After that, most of the annual expenses are for the rent of the University of Maryland server ($2,400 per year due to the separation of the four regions, i.e.
