Research Administration

Overview:

Introduction:

Research administration refers to the structured coordination of institutional, legal, and financial elements supporting scientific research. It encompasses the governance of funding, compliance with national and international frameworks, and the management of inter-institutional research relationships. This training program provides strategies, procedures, and models for managing research operations with a focus on intellectual property, funder expectations, subrecipient oversight, and institutional risk. It supports the development of research environments that align with policy, regulatory obligations, and institutional missions.

Program Objectives:

By the end of this program, participants will be able to:

• Define the institutional frameworks that govern research administration.

• Identify the regulatory and contractual structures related to funding, compliance, and subawards.

• Evaluate intellectual property considerations in research agreements and outputs.

• Structure institutional responses to risk exposure in sponsored research.

• Gain the required skills to coordinate multi-stakeholder collaboration under defined legal and administrative standards.

Target Audience:

• Research Administrators.

• Clinical Research Coordinators.

• Grants Management Specialists.

• Research Compliance Officers.

Program Outline:

Unit 1:

Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer:

• Frameworks for managing institutional intellectual property in research environments.

• Types of intellectual property and their application to funded research outputs.

• Policies governing ownership and rights under institutional and funder agreements.

• Technology transfer models and commercialization strategies.

• Procedures for patent filing, licensing, and enforcement.

• Methods for drafting and managing data sharing and confidentiality agreements.

Unit 2:

Managing Funder Requirements:

• Public and private research funding structures and expectations.

• Procedures for developing, submitting, and justifying research proposals.

• Frameworks for budget structuring, financial reporting, and compliance procedures.

• Overview of cost principles, allowable expenses, and audit requirements.

• Post-award monitoring and funder communication strategies.

• Oversight on financial controls aligned with funder terms and institutional policy.

Unit 3:

Subawards and Subcontract Management:

• Definitions and distinctions between subawards and vendor contracts.

• Procedures for initiating and formalizing subrecipient agreements.

• Monitoring frameworks for subrecipient compliance and performance.

• Legal obligations under prime award terms and funder conditions.

• Reporting requirements and documentation standards.

• Risk assessment and audit procedures related to subawards.

Unit 4:

Identifying and Managing Risks in Research Administration:

• Risk types in research administration.

• Structures for identifying and categorizing institutional exposure.

• Procedures for compliance monitoring and conflict-of-interest avoidance.

• Strategies for financial oversight and resource accountability.

• Mitigation models and institutional liability management.

• Insurance coverage and institutional risk documentation methods.

Unit 5:

Collaborative Research and Inter-Institutional Agreements:

• Frameworks for managing collaborative and multi-site research.

• Structures and content of inter-institutional research agreements.

• Steps used for addressing intellectual property, data use, and confidentiality.

• Conflict management mechanisms and dispute resolution models.

• Key activities for cross-border compliance with national and international research governance.