Research Management & Compliance Consulting

Trusted partners to public, private, and government research-intensive organizations to develop solutions for research policy, risk assessment & management, operations, and support & mentoring of leaders.

International Collaborations

 

International collaborations in research are decades old and essential to the advancement of research.  U.S. research agencies are revising and issuing new requirements due to concerns about research security and undue foreign influence.  Institutions must adapt quickly with practical tools to manage the potential challenges associated with individual and institutional relationships. Projects include:

  • Assisting an institution in developing and implementing a process for assessing export controls, financial conflicts of interest, and overlap with other sponsored programs.

  • Developing a comprehensive risk assessment model for large international programs, including functions across several campus offices.

  • Assisting an institution in developing a framework for assessing relationships between individual researchers and international collaborators.

Research Policy & Compliance

 

Financial conflicts of interest and conflicts of commitment are particularly hot topics due to the recent focus on international collaborations. In this area and many others, institutions are assessing their policies broadly to ensure they align with current practices and meet federal requirements. Projects include:

  • Assisting multiple institutions in reviewing its disclosure policies to comply with federal requirements, including additional education to the research community.

  • Assisting an institution with investigating compliance with federal disclosures requirements related to international research collaborations.

  • Assisting an institution in developing guidance to help research institutions comply with the new NIH grant disclosure requirements.

  • Assisting an institution in developing guidance to implement the August 2020 version of the Uniform Guidance, which governs how recipients must manage federal assistance awards.

Operational Excellence

 

Research support services are often in high demand, so institutions need practical solutions for focusing on the most important functions. We have extensive experience in designing tools and processes that enhance the quality of your services.  Projects include:

  • Assisting an institution in streamlining and accelerating its process of issuing micro awards to fund external research programs.

  • Assisting an institution in organizing and delivering educational webinars to a national audience shortly after COVID caused the wide-spread shutdown of most US research facilities.

  • Advising a new institution on reorganization to support further growth to meet the company’s goals.

Staff Development & Mentoring

 

The research administration profession has undergone significant change over the last several years.  We can assist with staff development, mentoring, and, in select cases, interim staffing for leadership positions.  Take advantage of leadership changes or staff reorganizations to reevaluate key processes for efficiency and effectiveness.  Projects include:

  • Acted as the chief compliance officer while an institution recruited a new director.

  • Mentored a new leader to expand operations and support further growth successfully.

  • Assisted an institution in refining risk management strategy and granting more responsibility to current staff recruiting a new leader.