The SmartSimple Blog

You may have noticed a few recent changes to your SmartSimple interface. As part of our new series of monthly upgrades, we’ve introduced several key features and benefits for November 2012. For a visual walkthrough of these changes, enjoy our new November 2012 Upgrade General Overview training video: Search Options  Several tweaks and additions have been added under search options including: A filter list based on records of a status, template or type List view now defaults to previously used search criteria Basic search allows searches based on type Contact Records A new middle name standard field has now been added under contact records. You can enable it by clicking User/Contact Standard Field Settings under Global Settings, then selecting the Middle Name link. You can now add a “Save Draft” button to contact and company records. This ability can be accessed through a Manager permission. Prefix/Suffix standard fields are now available as drop-down box...

Your SmartSimple system is more powerful than you think. Take, for instance, the flexibility of our custom fields. So what's a custom field?  Well, it’s a unit of data  that you attach to an object such as a contact, role, company, or activity type. Want to know more about how custom fields can benefit your UTA s? Keep reading. Types of Custom Fields  Custom fields are essential for the completion of a Level One entity (such as a project or case). SmartSimple supports over 50 types; they can be as simple or as complex as you need them to be. Simple custom fields include: Check boxes  Website or email address links  Text or system objects  Contact search fields  If you want to significantly enhance functionality, more complex custom fields are available, including: File upload boxes  Password text protection  XML data  Microsoft Word Merge  Adding Custom Fields to Level Ones  You can create your own cu...

SmartSimple Software is delighted to announce our new implementation partnership agreement with Cornastone. With them, we’re able to extend the reach of our product to a brand new client base in South Africa. We’re pleased to be working with an organisation that shares our values and commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction. Cornastone’s implementation expertise and our product excellence will greatly benefit South African organisations in the grants and research marketplace. Please visit the Cornastone website to learn more about this exciting new collaboration.

More and more universities and research facilities across the UK are implementing asset and equipment sharing services as a result of changes in equipment funding from Research Councils UK (RCUK). SmartSimple is keeping in step with this trend by developing an asset sharing module for our research management system RMS360°. Key benefits of asset and equipment sharing include: Increase of work efficiency and effectiveness within research management Easier, quicker access to equipment Encourages collaboration to fully exploit equipment across the UK research industry A more intuitive exchange of knowledge and ideas with multiple research teams SmartSimple is activity seeking UK-based universities to implement this module with. Please contact Joe Briggs at jbriggs@smartsimple.com to learn more. For more information about RMS360º, please click here .

SmartSimple is excited to announce that we are currently developing a module for RMS360º. This project costing and financial management module will allow research organisations to determine the full costs of projects as well as the cost to the funder. Other benefits and features of our upcoming module include: Management of internal authorisation of grant application costs  Personalised templates to support rule changes in framework  Formulate estimates and costs associated with your projects  Support for multiple funders/sponsors on the same project  Full immediate real-time integration with all other RMAS lots We are currently looking for UK-based research organisations in need of a dynamic and effective way to manage their project costs Please contact Joe Briggs at  jbriggs@smartsimple.com  to learn more. For more information about RMS360º, please click here .

Here at SmartSimple, we’re more than just a vendor. Getting involved at the community level is an integral part of our company, and we strive to provide invaluable resources for all our clients. An important aspect of the research community has always been the collaborative nature of its organizations across North America. We’ve compiled a helpful list of research organizations who strive to empower and advance the nature of the research industry. CASRAI The Consortia Advancing Standards in Research Administration Information is a non-profit organization that develops standards for the research community. They aim to simplify the research life-cycle across the entire industry by maintaining a common data dictionary. CASRAI continually examines and advances the best practices for data exchange between interlinked organizations including research teams, institutions, and funding agencies. Their first annual international conference, ReConnect12 , was held in October unde...