The Council on Governmental Relations (COGR) February 2017 meeting report provides an extensive overview of ongoing and emerging issues in the research administration community, focusing on regulatory reform, costing policies, contracts and intellectual property, and research compliance. The report addresses the implications of recently issued executive orders by the Trump Administration, particularly those targeting regulatory reform and the reorganization of federal agencies, noting new requirements for regulatory review officers and task forces to streamline and eliminate outdated or unnecessary regulations. The document highlights discussions with former OIRA administrators, critiques from policy experts on regulatory processes, and the challenges of implementing reforms such as the NIH Single IRB policy, revisions to the Common Rule, and the use of broad consent for biospecimens in human subjects research.
Key costing policies discussed include updates to procurement standards, implications of the National Defense Authorization Act and the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act’s micropurchase thresholds, and evolving practices in single audits under the Uniform Guidance. The report also details survey results on Facilities and Administrative (F&A) rates, ongoing concerns with equitable treatment in cost allocation, and unresolved issues with federal grants policy. On the contracts and intellectual property front, COGR reports engagement with federal agencies (notably NARA and DHS) concerning controlled unclassified information (CUI), the implications of new cybersecurity and open licensing rules, and continuing debates over the implementation of Bayh-Dole regulations and the scope of intellectual property rights, particularly in the context of drug pricing and compulsory licensing. The research compliance and administration section discusses public access mandates, the complexities of foreign subrecipient monitoring, data sharing policies, and pending regulatory clarifications. Throughout, the report emphasizes the need for harmonization of federal requirements, reduction of administrative burden, and continued collaboration between higher education institutions and federal agencies to adapt to a rapidly changing regulatory landscape.
