From months to just days: New U-M tool transforms training grant data tables

A new custom tool is removing the administrative burden from one of research administration’s most tedious jobs: building NIH data tables for training grant applications.

Why it matters: NIH institutional training grants fund research training for undergraduate, predoctoral and postdoctoral scientists in biomedical, behavioral and clinical fields. Applications can require up to eight extensive data tables pulled from faculty mentoring and funding records, trainee publications, applicant pools and program outcomes. Compiling data tables previously required a significant amount of time (three to six months of work) connecting with faculty, reconciling data from a variety of sources and tediously adhering to NIH formatting rules.

What's new: A custom module in The University of Michigan’s Education Management System (EdM) can now auto-generate Tables 1-6 and 8 in NIH-ready format.

• "I was literally jumping for joy," one training grant administrator said after seeing the module for the first time. "You have no idea how many days of work you just saved me."

The big picture: EdM is the product of a three-year partnership between the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (OGPS) and Health Information Technology Services (HITS), said Zaneta Nikolovska-Coleska, Ph.D., Associate Dean for Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. It draws on authoritative institutional data to cut manual effort and improve consistency and compliance. As a co-PI on a T32 training program, she's seen the payoff firsthand. 

• "Seeing EdM in action and working with it firsthand is the best way to appreciate the significant time and effort it saves," Nikolovska-Coleska said, adding that the system also supports trainee progress and faculty mentors. 

A competitive advantage

By the numbers: U-M ranks second nationally in the number of active NIH institutional training grants, both across campus and within medical schools, according to 2025 data from the National Institutes of Health's Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools. 

Peer institutions lag behind, said Tina Creguer, Associate Director of Training Grant Support in OGPS. Some still do the work entirely by hand. Others use disconnected systems or off-the-shelf software that don't meet NIH requirements.

• "EdM's direct, automated integration with multiple U-M institutional data sources is more sophisticated and distinguishes it from solutions currently used at comparable institutions," Creguer said. "As the system reaches full adoption, it will provide a meaningful advantage for U-M teams."

How EdM came together

The background: Development started three years ago to centralize trainee and faculty tracking across the full arc of graduate and postdoctoral education.

How it works: EdM pulls data from authoritative U-M institutional sources, including financial aid, the Medical School grants database, Human Resources, and Michigan Experts for publication data. That information is combined with program-specific information to build a comprehensive view of each trainee's academic progression, mentorship, funding history and scholarly activity.

The result: A single, consolidated view of each trainee’s academic progress, mentorship, funding and scholarly output that was previously fragmented across spreadsheets and siloed systems. 

What they're saying: Isaac “Izi” Roussel, Educational Systems Manager for Training Grant Support in OGPS, oversaw the prioritization of features, refinement of data models and ongoing system development to ensure EdM meets both operational and regulatory requirements. 

• "Through this work, EdM is shifting our approach from reactive reporting to proactive program oversight," Roussel said. "That improves visibility into trainee progress while simultaneously enhancing our ability to compete for and renew NIH training grants."

What’s next

All included NIH tables have been released, complete with a comprehensive custom user guide built directly into the interface. This fully streamlined path from institutional data to submission-ready reports significantly reduces manual work, improves accuracy and strengthens compliance with NIH requirements. 

Get access: Request access for a designated team member, or email [email protected] with questions.