Spanky is correct - IP is much too limited a definition - however, I think
it's a little more mundane than saving the world.  Even when I worked at
NIH, I didn't think I was saving the world!

I would define it as helping our university and it's faculty obtain and keep
funding and helping sponsors with the administrivia necessary to keep the
process going.

Elaine

-----Original Message-----
From: Research Administration List [mailto:xxxxxx@HRINET.ORG]On Behalf
Of Mike McCallister
Sent: Monday, August 05, 2002 2:35 PM
To: xxxxxx@HRINET.ORG
Subject: [RESADM-L]

This thing about research administration being about IP?  That
completely misses the point (Sorry Charlie).  IP is a small tail
wagging a big dog right now and is used so much the term has lost
currency.  IP happens within research, sometimes.  It is almost
serendipitous.  It certainly is not as big a deal as some want it to
be, not yet.

So what's RA?  What did you tell your Mom you do at work?  That's
what it is.  It's what needs to be done for our researchers and
faculty  to create new knowledge, solve problems, grow themselves,
even save the world, maybe.  But most of all what we do is help those
who can to do because what they do is, by and large, important to
society.

Spanky

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