Case Study: Purdue University achieves real-time research-impact visibility and faster data-driven decisions with Microsoft Power BI

Purdue closely monitors research impact, makes informed decisions during COVID-19 using Power Apps

Purdue University faced sudden disruption to its nearly $700M research portfolio when COVID-19 paused much lab activity and left leadership without a consolidated view of project and payroll impacts. Purdue partnered with Mazik Global and Microsoft lead Jason Morales to rapidly build a custom solution using Microsoft Power BI and Power Apps to gather faculty-reported impacts and provide centralized, interactive visibility.

The COVID-19 Sponsored Program Impact Application, built with Microsoft Power BI, delivered customized dashboards and real-time reporting to faculty and leaders, achieving adoption by more than 1,100 faculty representing the vast majority of research dollars. The tool enabled immediate detection and correction of payroll and project issues (including identifying an expensive damaged instrument later covered by insurance), shifted Purdue from quarterly to real-time oversight, and supported data-driven budget decisions and federal reporting.

Purdue University

Carrie Berger

Executive Associate Dean for Research and Strategic Initiatives