Research Websites

KU Information technology provides two web platform options for researchers and research groups, projects, units and departments:

• Content management system (CMS)
• Custom development

Content Management System (CMS)

KU's CMS is built on Drupal, an open source web development platform that allows site administrators without web development skills to create and maintain websites. KU's current version, called CMS Sunflower, provides page templates that make it relatively easy to create websites that are consistent with KU design standards and branding. CMS Sunflower is used for nearly all department and unit websites at the university.

While creating and maintaining a CMS Sunflower websites is relatively simple after basic training sessions, and there is no cost, some researchers and groups may prefer to outsource the work. Whether you don't have the time to spend or you need a more complex website, KU IT offers CMS web development support billed at $60/hour. Contact Web Services for a price quote.

Custom Development

Research projects and websites are not required to be built on the KU CMS Sunflower platform. If you have a specific need for your website that isn't met by the CMS, we will work to accommodate your needs.

The KU IT web development team can provide as much or as little support as you need in building and maintaining your research website. Our team has many years of web development experience using the latest programming languages, tools and platforms, including popular open-source tools such as Wordpress, Drupal and Joomla. Please contact us for a free estimate on time and cost for web development services.

Support is available both for sites exclusive to KU, and for collaborative research websites.

Web Hosting

CMS Sunflower is both a design/development platform and hosting platform. KU IT also provides web hosting via cPanel.

The Research Support Team, in consultation with KU IT Web Services, can advise you on whether CMS or cPanel will best meet your needs, or help find alternatives. For more information, including requesting a CMS or cPanel site, or securing a domain name, contact the Research Support Team.

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